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OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 


PLAT  v’rfAMIA  CECROPIA, 


EBERHART’S 


Economic  Entomology 


REVISED  EDITION. 


By  Noble  M.  Eberhart,  Ph.D.,  Sc.D.,  F.S.Sc.  (London). 

Member  Victoria  Institute,  or  Philosophical  Society  of  Great 
Britain  ; Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  etc.,  etc. 

Author  of  Some:  Curious  Insects  ; Elements  of  Bntomoeogy  ; 
Key  to  Families  of  Insects,  etc.,  etc. 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 


A.  FLANAGAN,  Publisher. 
CHICAGO. 


THt  LIBRAftff 

of  use 

(iumsin  of  amis 


COPYRIGHT  1888  and  1893. 

By  Nobee  M.  Eberhart. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


oo-c£C4r  ■ # er  p,  ^ ^ 


S'? 6*.  T 
£ X-  3 -*- 
m3 


REMOTE  - 


\ 


PREFACE  TO  REVISED  EDITION. 


When  this  work  first  appeared,  Entomology  was  not  taught 
except  in  a few  agricultural  colleges.  The  argument  advanced  for 
the  first  edition  was  that  so  many  thousands  of  dollars  were  annually 
lost  from  the  ravages  of  injurious  insects,  that  some  time  surely  ought 
to  be  given  in  every  school  to  the  consideration  of  these  noxious 
insects  and  the  remedies  to  check  their  ravages. 

It  has  been,  therefore,  with  a great  deal  of  pleasure  that  we 
have  seen  our  humble  text-book  adopted  into  schools  and  colleges 
throughout  the  country. 

The  present  edition  is  revised  to  date,  with  some  additions  and 
changes  from  the  original  text. 


N.  M.  E. 


Chicago,  May,  1893. 


CHAPTER  I. 

General  Characteristics  of  Insects. 

General  Features. — Insects  belong  to  that  branch 
of  the  Animal  Kingdom  called  Arthropoda . The  bodies  of 
arthropods  differ  from  those  of  vertebrates  in  having  the 
skeleton  on  the  out-side.  The  bod3r  is  composed  of  numei- 
ous  rings  or  segments.  The  body-wall  or  skeleton,  forms 
the  joints  of  these  rings  by  softening  and  folding  in.  This 
gives  great  flexibility  to  the  body. 

The  skeleton  is  really  only  an  outer  crust,  but  is  suf- 
ficiently firm  for  the  attachment  of  the  muscles  and  for  the 
protection  of  the  vital  organs  of  the  insect. 

Chitine. — The  outer  covering  or  crust  is  rendered  firm 
by  the  deposition  of  a hard  substance  called  chitine. 

Definition  of  an  Insect. — Many  authors  apply  the 
term  insect  to  worms  and  spiders,  as  well  as  to  true  insects. 
Originally  the  word  was  used  in  a restricted  sense,  and  ap- 
plied only  to  those  arthropods  having  six  feet,  or  the  Hex- 
apoda.  The  word  insect  is  derived  from  the  Latin  in,  into; 
and  secOy  to  cut.  The  application  is  seen  by  examining  an 
insect,  and  noticing  how  the  body  narrows  in,  in  two  places 
on  each  side,  as  though  notches  had  been  cut  in  it.  This 
divides  the  body  into  three  distinct  parts,  and  is  an  essential 
characteristic  of  an  insect. 


EBERHAR T'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Number  and  Distribution  of  Insects. — The  insects 
are  by  far  the  largest  class  in  the  Animal  Kingdom;  in  fact, 
they  outnumber  all  other  divisions  combined.  Of  beetles, 
alone,  some  85,000  species  have  already  been  described.  The 
total  number  of  described  species  of  insects  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  200,000. 

New  species  are  constantly  being  made  known,  and  as 
our  knowledge  of  insects  is  still  primitive,  there  is  a strong 
probability  that  the  number  will  be  doubled  or  trebled  in  the 
near  future. 

Fossil  insects  are  numerous.  In  the  older  stratas  only 
the  lower  forms  are  found.  In  the  Mesozoic  age,  specimens 
of  enormous  size  occur,  and  those  insects,  (Lepidoptera  and 
Hymenoptera)  whose  transformations  are  complete,  make 
their  appearance. 

Insects  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  largest 
and  most  handsome  species  are  found  in  tropical  latitudes. 

Butterflies  have  been  found  as  far  north  as  83  degrees 
North  Latitude. 

Length  of  Life  . — Mayflies,  in  the  perfect  form  live 
but  24  hours  as  a rule,  while  bees  and  ants  have  been  known 
to  live  seven  years. 

Beneficial  Insects. — Some  insects  are  of  great  value 
to  man.  Of  these  the  silk-worm,  the  hive-bee  and  the 
cochineal  insect  may  be  mentioned. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


9 


Attention  may  also  be  called  to  the  value  of  insects  in 
fertilizing  plants. 

Noxious  Insects. — Injurious  insects  are  very  nu- 
merous, and  herein  lies  the  principal  value  of  the  study  of 
Entomology,  since  by  becoming  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  habits  of  noxious  insects  we  are  able  to  successfully  apply 
remedies  to  abate  or  prevent  their  ravages.  This  is  termed 

Economic  Entomology  and  is  distinguished  from 
the  study  of 

Systematic  Entomology  which  deals  with  the 
structure  and  classification  of  insects. 

Strength  of  Insects. — The  strength  of  insects  in 
proportion  to  their  size  is  prodigious.  A flea  will  jump  200 
times  its  own  height.  Newport  tells  of  an  instance  where 
Geotrupes  stercorarius  sustained  and  escaped  from  under  a 
pressure  of  twenty  or  thirty  ounces,  the  insect  itself  only 
weighing  about  that  many  grains. 

Divisions  of  the  Body.— The  three  divisions  of  the 
body  to  which  we  have  already  called  attention,  are  known 
as  the  head,  the  thorax  and  the  abdomen. 


10 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


The  head  has  the  eyes,  the  antennae  and  the  mouth* 
parts  ; thorax  is  the  motor  centre  and  affords  attachment 
for  the  wings  and  legs  ; while  the  abdomen  contains  the 
digestive  and  excretory  organs. 

The  Byes  are  of  two  kinds,  simple  and  compound. 
The  simple  or  single  eyes  are  called  ocelli  (singular,  ocellus). 
The  compound  eye  is  made  up  of  numerous  simple  eyes. 
In  this  case  these  divisions  are  called  facets,  and  are  hexag- 
onal in  shape  as  shown  in  the  figure.  It  is  estimated  that 
there  are  over  12,000  of  these  facets  in  the  compound  eye 
of  a dragon-fly. 


The  Antennae  or  “ feelers”  are  hollow,  jointed 
appendages.  They  are  the  seat  of  the  sense  of  touch,  and 
many  believe  of  smelling  and  hearing  also.  The  antennae 
in  carrion-beetles  and  other  insects  having  a remarkable 
acuteness  of  smell  are  much  more  highly  developed,  which 
would  give  us  reason  to  believe  them  possessed  of  that 
sense. 

The  various  forms  of  antennae  are  shown  injthe  accom- 
panying figure. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


11 


Various  forms  of  antennae. 

a.  Setaceous  or  bristle-like.  e.  Pectinate  or  comb-like. 

b.  Filiform  or  thread-like.  f.  Capitate  or  having  a head. 

c.  Moniliform  or  bead-like.  g.  Clavate  or  club-shaped. 

d.  Serrate  or  saw-like.  h.  lamellate. 


The  Wings  vary  greatly  in  the  different  orders  and 
serve  as  a distinguishing  feature.  The  tip  of  the  wing  is 
called  the  apex  ; the  costal  edge  is  the  front  margin  and 


the  inner  edge  that  next  to  the  body.  From  the  tip  to  the 


commencement  of  the  inner  edge  is  the  outer  edge.  A 
coriaceous  wing  is  one  that  is  leathery,  or  tough.  A mem- 
branous wing  is  thin  and  nearly  transparent. 


Figs.  10-^2.— Membranous  and  Coriaceous  Wing*, 


12 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig.  13. — Scales  on  a Butterfly’s  Wing,  highly  magnified. 

The  I/egS. — The  plate  shows  the  parts  of  the 
leg  named.  The  egg-shaped  piece  next  the  body  is  the 
trochanter  ; the  long  joint  next  is  the  femur,  then  the  tibia 
and  finally  the  small  joints  at  the  end  form  the  (sin- 

gular, pfSptrs;  terminating  usually  in  a claw  called  the 
pulvillus. 

The  Muscular  System.  This  lies  just  beneath  the 
chitinous  covering  or  skin  of  the  insect,  and  according  to 
Newport,  it  consists  of  “numerous  distinct,  isolated,  straight 
fibres,  which  are  not  gathered  into  bundles  united  by  com- 
mon tendons,  or  covered  by  aponeuroses  (tendinous  sheaths), 
to  form  distinct  muscles,  as  in  the  Vertebrata , but  remain 
separate  from  each  other  and  only  in  some  instances  are 
united  at  one  extremity  by  tendons.” 

The  Nervous  System.  This  consists  primarily  of 
two  longitudinal  cords,  with  a knot  of  ganglion  (nerve-cen- 
tre) for  each  segment.  The  position  of  this  cord  is  ventral. 


EBERHART'S  economic  entomology ; 


15 


The  Organs  of  Nutrition.  These  are  made  up  of 
an  alimentary  canal  with  its  appendages,  and  are  found  in 
various  stages  of  development  in  different  insects,  the  sim- 
plest form  being  a straight  tube. 

Fig.  15. — Heart  of  an  Insect. 

Circulation.  The  heart  of  the  insect  is  a dorsal  pul- 
sating tube,  terminating  in  a large  artery  in  the  head. 
The  blood  of  the  insect  is  seldom  red, — generally  it  is  color- 
less,— but  sometimes  of  a yellow  tinge. 


16 


EBERLlARTS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Respiration.  The  insect  breathes  through  little  tubes 
or  pores  called  tracheae,  the  terminal  openings  being  called 
spiracles,  of  which  a row  runs  along  each  side  of  the  body, 
there  being  normally  eleven  on  each  side. 


Fig  16.— rCut  of  I,arva  showing  Spiracles. 

Aquatic  insects  respire  “water  mechanically  mixed 
with  air,”  by  means  of  gill-like  flattened  expansions  of  the 
body- wall,  called  branchiae.  Their  inner  tubes  are  generally 
termed  bronchial  tracheae. 

The  Secretive  Organs.  Says  Packard:  “The  uri- 
nary vessels,  or  what  is  equivalent  to  the  kidneys  of  the 
higher  animals,  consist  in  insects  of  several  long  tubes, 
which  empty  by  one  cr  two  secretory  ducts  into  the  posterior 
or  ‘ pyloric  ’ extremity  of  the  stomach.  There  are  also  odor- 
iferous glands  analogous  to  the  cutaneous  glands  of  verte- 
brates. The  liquid  poured  out  is  usually  offensive  and  is 
used  as  a means  of  defense.  ’ ’ 

Classification. — Insects  are  divided  into  seven  class- 
es, called  orders.  The  basis  of  this  distinction  is  the  cha- 
racter of  the  wings.  The  names  are  formed  by  combining 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


17 


the  Greek  word  ptera,  meaning  wings,  with  another  Greek 
word  describing  them. 

The  seven  orders,  beginning  with  those  of  highest  in- 
ligence  and  thence  down  the  scale,  are  : 

1.  Hymenoptera,  or  “membranous-winged”  insects, 
including  bees,  ants,  wasps,  etc. 

2.  Tepidoptera,  or  “scale-winged  ” insects.  These 
are  the  butterflies  and  moths. 

3.  Diptera,  “two- winged.”  Flies,  mosquitoes,  etc. 

4.  Coleoptera,  “sheath-winged.”  Beetles. 

5.  Hemiptera,  “half  winged.”  Bugs,  cicadas,  etc. 

6.  Orthoptera,  “straight- winged.”  Grasshoppers,  etc. 

7.  Neuroptera,  “nerve-winged.”  Dragonflies,  may- 
flies, etc. 

To  these  orders  many  authors  add  an  eighth,  called 
Thysanura,  embracing  minute  wingless  insects,  such  as  the 
spring-tails,  bristle-tails,  etc. 

Transformations  of  Insects. — The  changes  or  met- 
amorphoses of  insects  are  extremely  interesting,  and  where 
time  will  permit,  should  be  carefully  studied. 

The  egg  is  the  primary  stage.  Within  this  the  embry- 
onic larva  forms.  When  it  is  ready  to  hatch  out  the  shell 
of  the  egg  is  found  to  have  become  thinner  and  to  be  some- 
what hollow  or  concave  at  the  point  where  it  covers  the  under 


18  EBERHARTS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


side  of  the  body,  and  conversely,  is  found  to  be  raised  or 
convex  where  it  covers  the  dorsal  or  back  side. 

The  shell  bursts  on  the  middle  of  the  back,  spreading 
toward  the  head. 

The  latter  and  parts  of  the  thorax  are  then  pushed  out. 
They  are,  however,  not  entirely  withdrawn. 

“The  antennae,  parts  of  the  mouth,  and  legs  are  still 
enclosed  within  separate  envelopes  and  retain  the  larva  in 
this  covering  in  the  shell.  Efforts  are  then  made  to  loosen 
the  posterior  part  of  the  body.”  This  is  gradually  ac- 
complished and  the  other  members  then  follow  and  the  larva 
is  released. 

The  larva  on  emerging  begins  to  feed  voraciously.  It 
grows  rapidly  and  generally  moults,  or  changes  its  skin  for 
a number  of  times.  A few  days  before  the  assumption  of 
the  pupa,  or  intermediate  stage  between  the  worm  and  the 
perfect  insect,  the  larva  ceases  to  eat,  becomes  restless,  and 
either  spins  a silken  cocoon  or  makes  one  of  earth  or  chips. 

Duiing  the  semi-pupa  state,  the  skin  of  the  chrysalis 
grows  beneath  the  nominal  coveting  of  the  larva.  After 
entering  its  cocoon  it  remains  in  the  pupa  state  a length  of 
time  varying  with  the  insect  and  climate,  during  which  the 
imago  or  perfect  insect  is  formed,  which  finally  emerges. 
The  female,  after  impregnation,  immediately  provides  for 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


19 


the  propagation  of  the  species  by  depositing  her  eggs  in  a 
suitable  locality. 

In  grasshoppers,  and  other  lower  orders  of  insects,  the 
pupa  stage  is  not  passed  within  a cocoon,  and  the  insect 
differs  from  the  adult  only  in  size  and  the  development  of 
its  wings,  as  seen  in  the  accompanying  illustration  showing 
the  various  stages  of  a locust. 


20 


EBERHAR 7 'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Various  stages  of  locust. 


F<g  -SO.  j f,5  21  ■ 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


21 


CHAPTER  II. 

Injurious  Hymenoptera. 

The  name  Hymenoptera  is  derived  from  the  Greek 
words,  hymen , membrane  ; and  pteron , wing,  (plural,  ptera ). 
The  order  includes  bees,  wasps,  saw-flies,  ants,  etc. 

They  are  possessed  of  greater  intelligence,  and  their 
transformations  are  more  complete  than  those  of  any  other 
order.  The  larvae  are  footless  grubs,  except  in  the  case  of 
saw-flies,  whose  young  have  abdominal  legs.  The  reason- 
ing powers  of  Hymenoptera  have  been  so  highly  eulogized 
as  to  be  said  to  differ  from  those  of  man  only  in  degree . 

THE  PEAR-TREE  SLUG. 

(Selandria  cerasi . Peck.) 

The  Pear-Slug  hibernates  as  a pupa,  the  imagos  or  per- 
fect insects  emerging  in  May  and  June.  The  adult  is  a 
bright  black  fly.  If  the  tree  is  shaken,  the  insects  usually 


Fig.  23.  Pear-tree  Slug. 

fall  to  the  ground  and  feign  death.  The  saw-flies  (to  which 
family  the  Pear-Slug  belongs),  are  thus  named  because  of 


22 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


the  saw-like  appendage  at  the  end  of  the  abdomen  in  most 
females.  With  this  the  leaves  of  trees  are  slit,  and  in  these 
crevices  the  eggs  deposited.  Says  Saunders  : The  female 
begins  to  deposit  her  eggs  early  in  June  : they  are  placed 
singly  within  little  semicircular  incisions  through  the  skin 
of  the  leaf,  sometimes  on  the  under  side  and  sometimes  on 
the  upper.  In  about  a fortnight  these  eggs  hatch.  The 
newly-hatched  slug  is  at  first  white,  but  soon  a slimy  matter 
oozes  out  of  the  skin  and  covers  the  upper  part  of  the  body 
with  an  olive-colored  sticky  coating.’ * A second  brood  of 
eggs  is  deposited  late  in  July.  Maturing  in  about  a month 
they  go  into,  the  ground  and  assume  the  pupa  state,  in 
which  form  they  remain  during  the  winter. 

Remedies. — An  ichneumon  fly  deposits  its  eggs  in 
those  of  the  Pear-Slug,  the  grub  living  in  the  egg  and  de- 
stroying it.  A wash,  composed  of  an  ounce  of  powdered 
hellebore  to  each  two  gallons  of  water,  sprayed  on  the 
leaves  of  the  tree  is  sufficient. 

THE  IMPORTED  CURRANT  WORM, 

(Nematus  ventricosus.  Klug.) 

This  is  the  larva  of  another  saw-fly.  The  insect  gen- 
erally hibernates  as  a pupa, — rarely  as  a grub.  The  adult 
insects  appear  in  the  beginning  of  spring.  The  female  is 
larger  than  the  male,  and  of  a yellow  color.  The  male  is 
spotted  with  dull  yellow.  The  eggs  are  placed  on  the 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


23 


Fig.  24.  Fig.  25. 

Imported  Currant  Worm  and  Moth  (female). 

under  side  of  the  leaves  and  on  the  principal  veins.  They 
hatch  in  from  ten  to  twelve  days.  The  larvae  eat  little 
holes  in  the  leaf  until  nothing  but  the  frame  work  or  skele- 
ton is  left.  When  ready  to  pupate  they  form  their  cocoons 
under  rubbish  ; sometimes  in  the  ground,  occasionally  on 
the  stems  or  leaves  of  the  currant  bushes.  The  flies 
emerge  during  the  latter  part  of  June  or  the  first  of  July. 
These  lay  eggs,  which  soon  hatch,  and  the  larvae  generally 
change  into  the  pupa  state,  in  which  they  pass  the  winter. 

Remedies. — Parasites  prey  on  the  egg  and  on  the 
larvae,  notably  one  found  by  Prof.  Eintner,  State  Entomol- 
ogist of  New  York,  which  attacks  the  egg.  Dr.  Packard 
recommends  powdered  white  hellebore  sprinkled  over  the 
bushes  by  means  of  a muslin  bag  tied  to  a stick.  Dr. 
Worcester  has  met  with  equal  success  in  the  use  of  carbo- 
late  of  lime,  which  was  sprinkled  over  the  bushes  as  soon 
as  the  worm  made  its  appearance.  Hand  picking  is  very 
good. 


24 


EBEKHART’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


THE  NATIVE  CURRANT  SAW-FLY. 

(Pristiphora  grossularicz.  Walsh.) 

We  quote  from  Packard:  This  saw-fly  is  a widely  dif- 


Fig.  26.  Native  Currant  Saw-fly. 


fused  species  in  the  Northern  and  Western  States,  and 
injures  the  currant  and  gooseberry.  The  female  fly  is  a 
shining  black,  while  the  head  is  dull  yellow  and  the  legs 
are  honey-yellow.  * * * * Mr.  Walsh  states  that  the 

larva  is  a pale  grass-green  worm,  half  an  inch  long,  with  a 
black  head,  which  becomes  green  after  the  last  moult,  but 
with  a lateral  brown  stripe  meeting  with  the  opposite  one 
on  the  top  of  the  head,  where  it  is  more  or  less  confluent, 
and  a central  brown-black  spot  on  its  face.  It  appears  the 
last  of  June  and  early  in  July,  and  a second  brood  in 
August.  They  spin  their  cocoons  on  the  bushes  on  which 
they  feed,  and  the  fly  appears  in  two  or  three  weeks,  the 
specimens  reared  by  him  flying  on  the  26th  of  August. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


25 


This  worm  may  at  once  be  distinguished  from  the  imported 
currant  worm  by  the  absence  of  the  minute  black  warts 
that  cover  the  body  of  the  latter.  The  same  remedies 
should  be  used  for  this  worm  as  are  recommended  for  the 
preceding  insect. 


26 


EBERHART’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Injurious  Lepidoptera. 

The  order  Lepidoptera  ( lepis , a scale),  comprises  the  but- 
terflies and  moths.  They  are  distinguished  from  other 
insects  in  having  their  wings  covered  with  minute  feathers 
or  scales. 

The  larvae  are  seldom  footless. 

The  transformations  of  Lepidoptera  are  complete. 

Moths  are  distinguished  from  butterflies,  in  that  the 
antennae  of  the  former  are  pointed  at  their  tip,  (occasion- 
ally, though,  they  have  small  side  branches),  while  the  an- 
tennae of  butterflies  are  knobbed  or  thickened  at  their  ends. 

CUT-WORMS. 

The  numerous  larvae  passing  under  this  name,  belong 
to  the  family,  Noduidce , and  most  of  them  to  the  genera 
Agrotis  and  Hade7ia.  They  are  nocturnal  in  their  habits, 


Fig.  27.  Cut  Worm, 


EBERH A RT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


27 


feeding  on  the  roots  and  tips  of  herbs.  They  hibernate,  as 
half-grown  larvae,  in  oval  cavities  in  the  ground.  As  soon 
in  spring  as  the  frost  leaves  the  ground,  they  ascend  to,  or 
near  to  surface,  and  pursue  their  usual  method  of  feeding  ; 
many  living  entirely  on  roots,  and  never  coming  to  the  sur- 
face ; while  others  travel  around  during  the  night,  doing 
great  injury  by  cutting  off  young  herbs  near  the  roots. 

When  full  grown  they  descend  further  into  the  ground 
than  before,  where  they  pupate,  emerging  in  three  or  four 
weeks,  in  the  winged  state.  The  eggs  are  generally  depos- 
ited on  low  plants,  and  when  the  young  larvae  hatch,  they 
go  down  into  the  ground  and  feed  upon  roots. 

Remedies. — The  Cut-worms  have  many  natural  ene- 
mies such  as  the  robin,  the  black-bird,  the  cat-bird,  domes- 
tic fowls,  some  species  of  ground  beetles,  ( Carabidce );  the 
toad,  etc. 

Numerous  parasites  also  infest  them.  Among  the  arti- 
ficial remedies,  making  holes  in  the  ground  in  the  evening 
with  a pointed  stick,  and  going  around  in  the  morning  and 
thrusting  the  stick  again  into  the  holes,  will  destroy  any 
Cut-worms  that  may  have  fallen  into  the  holes  during  the 
night. 

Many  will  seek  shelter  at  the  approach  of  dawn  under 
leaves  and  rubbish  lying  on  the  ground,  these  may  be  found 
and  killed. 


28 


EBERHAR T'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Late  plowing  is  good. 

The  Cut-worms  have  a great  fondness  for  clover,  and 
little  bunches  of  it,  poisoned  with  arsenic,  and  placed  in  the 
field  at  night  will  kill  many. 


THE  CORN  WORM. 

(Heliothis  armigera.  Hubner.) 


This  insect  is  very  injurious  to  the  cotton  in  the  South, 
and  there  it  is  called  the  Boll- worm,  because  it  feeds  on  the 
cotton  boll.  It  hibernates  as  a pupa,  a few  inches  below 
the  surface,  in  an  oval  cell  lined  with  silk.  In  the  latitude 
of  Illinois  it  is  two  or  three  brooded,  the  number  increasing 
with  the  distance  south.  The  hibernating  pupae  become 
imagos  about  the  time  the  first  shoots  of  corn  appear.  They 
deposit  their  eggs  (which  number  from  fifty  to  one  hundred) 


separately,  one  on  each  blade  of  corn.  After  hatching,  the 
larvae  eat  into  the  stalk.  They  get  their  growth  about  the 
time  the  corn  tassels.  This  brood  does  so  little  damage  that 
it  generally  passes  unnoticed. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


29 


The  eggs  of  the  second  brood  are  laid  in  the  tip  of  the 
ear.  The  larvae  feed  on  the  silk,  which  appears  about  the 
time  they  hatch. 

The  best  remedy  is  fall  plowing,  which  exposes  the 

pupae  to  the  weather. 

THE  ARMY  WORM. 

(Heliophila  ( Leucania ) unipuncta.) 

This  is  a smooth  caterpillar,  seldom  found  later  than 
June  or  July.  It  hibernates  generally  as  a larva  ; occa- 
sionally as  an  imago;  rarely  as  a pupa. 

The  hibernating  larvae  pupate  early,  about  an  inch  be- 
low the  surface,  and  the  imagos  emerge  in  March.  There 
are  about  three  yearly  broods  in  the  latitude  of  Central 
Illinois. 

The  female  soon  after  emerging  lays  her  eggs  in  grass 
between  the  stalk  and  its  surrounding  sheath  or  between 
the  terminal  blades  while  they  are  yet  doubled.  Will  lay 
in  almost  any  situation;  often  in  grain,  corn-stalks,  or  hay- 
stacks. 


Fig.  28.  Fig.  29. 

Army  Worm  and  Moth. 


30  EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


The  larvae  do  not  travel  in  armies  unless  very  numerous, 
and  so  often  pass  unnoticed. 

The  first  brood  live  as  cut-worms,  finally  goingintothe 
ground  and  undergoing  the  various  stages,  the  moths  ap- 
pear about  the  last  of  June.  In  five  to  eight  days,  these 
lay. 

The  third  brood  emerges  in  the  latter  part  of  August. 

In  Illinois  the  second  brood  does  the  greatest  injury. 

They  are  always  more  numerous  the  year  following  a 
dry  year,  but  are  never  destructive  and  numerous  in  the 
same  locality  for  two  succeeding  years,  because  of  disease 
and  parasites. 

Remedies. — The  tachina  fly,  the  ichneumon  fly,  the 
predaceous  beetles,  and  the  bobolink  destroy  many.  Fair 
results  in  a wheat  field,  infested  by  Army  Worms,  have  been 
obtained  by  dragging  a long  rope  over  the  top  of  the  stalks, 
jarring  the  worms  to  the  ground.  This  repeated  twice  a 
day  in  small  fields  and  where  the  worms  are  not  too  thick 
would  prove  advantageous,  but  in  larger  fields  it  is  a ques- 
tion whether  the  results  would  equal  the  time  and  labor 
expended. 

A very  good  method  is  the  plowing  of  a furrow  around 
the  fields. 

The  worms  will  collect  in  this  ditch  and  a log  dragged 
along  it  with  a rope  will  crush  large  numbers  of  them. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  EN'IOMOLOGY. 


31 


Poisoning  plants  around  the  edges  of  a field  with  a mix- 
ture of  Paris  green  and  water  is  useful  where  the  worms  are 
not  too  numerous. 

THE  FALL  ARMY  WORM 

(Laphygma  frugiperda.') 

is  covered  with  stiff  erect  hairs  and  appears  only  in  the  fall, 
therefore  it  may  be  easily  distinguished  from  the  foregoing. 

THE  PEACH-TREE  BORER. 

{Sanmna  (. ALgeria ) exitiosci . ) 

Hibernating  in  the  pupa  state,  the  moth  appears  in  May 
and  June.  The  eggs  which  are  of  a beautiful  yellow-brown 
color  are  deposited  singly  on  the  trunks  of  the  peach  and 
cherry,  near  the  roots,  and  held  in  position  by  a gummy 
secretion.  They  are  about  one-fiftieth  of  an  inch  long,  and 
little  more  than  half  as  wide. 

The  larva  as  soon  as  it  hatches  seeks  a crevice  and  works 
down  under  the  bark  toward  the  roots. 

It  is,  according  to  Saunders,  “a  naked  soft  cylindrical 
grub,  of  a pale  whitish  yellow  color,  with  a reddish,  horny 
looking  head,  and  black  jaws.”  The  presence  of  the  larva 
is  readily  detected  by  the  exudation  of  gum. 

Remedies. — The  larvae  maybe  sought  for  and  killed, 
directly.  Hot  water  is  recommended  by  many.  In  using 
it,  the  dirt  should  be  scraped  away  from  the  roots,  and  the 


32 


EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


water  poured  on  hot  enough  that  it  will  not  cool  before 
reaching  the  grubs. 

A wash  of  carbolic  acid  and  soap  suds  is  also  useful. 

By  far  the  best  method,  however,  is  to  mound  up  the 
ground  about  the  trees  to  the  height  of  a foot  or  so,  which 
will  prevent  the  female  from  laying  her  eggs. 

THE  STALK-BORER. 

( Gortyna  nitela.  Guenee.) 

This  larva  may  be  easily  distinguished  because  the 
stripes  which  on  most  cut- worms  run  the  whole  length  of 
the  body,  are  on  the  Stalk-Borer  interrupted  for  four  seg- 
ments. 


Fig,  32  and  33. — Stalk  Borer  and  Moth. 


It  hibernates  as  a moth,  which  comes  forth  early  in 
spring  and  lays  its  eggs  on  blue  grass  and  young  grain. 
The  young  larvae  often  do  great  injury  by  eating  off  the 
terminal  blades  of  young  oats. 

Pupating  in  the  ground  in  August,  the  imagos  emerge 
by  the  latter  part  of  August  or  the  first  of  September. 


EBERHART yS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


33 


The  best  remedy  is  keeping  down  such  weeds  and 
grass  as  the  eggs  are  liable  to  be  deposited  on. 

The  larvae  are  pxeyed  upon  by  a parasite. 

THE  CANKER  WORM. 

(An isopteryx  vernata.) 

The  Spring  Canker  Worm  hibernates  as  a pupa,  a short 
distance  below  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

Some  emerge  from  October  on,  if  the  winter  is  a mild 
one.  The  remainder  generally  do  so  about  the  middle  of 
March,  the  females  appearing  first.  These  females  are 
wingless.  They  crawl  up  the  tree  and  deposit  their  eggs 
in  irregular  masses  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  between  the 
branches,  under  scales  of  bark  or  in  any  other  sheltered 
situation. 


Fig.  34  and  35.— Male  and  Female  Canker  Worm  Moths. 


These  eggs  are  of  a broad  oval  form.  They  hatch  in 
a few  days,  about  the  time  the  apple  trees  are  leafing  out, 
and  immediately  attack  the  leaves,  punctjring  them  with 
small  holes.  They  soon  strip  the  trees  of  most  of  their 
leaves,  and  will  kill  them  in  two  or  three  seasons. 


34  \EBERHAR1  yS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


The  color  of  the  larva  is  a dark  olive-green  or  brown, 
much  resembling  the  general  color  of  the  tree.  They  fasten 
themselves  by  their  two  pairs  of  posterior  or  pro-legs  to  a 
twig,  and  hold  the  body  away  from  the  tree  so  that  they  re- 
semble a short  spine  or  branch.  This  is  a protective  device. 

When  alarmed  they  drop  by  a slender  silken  thread  a 
few  inches,  so  that  they  are  out  of  the  reach  of  their  enemies. 
The}7  mature  in  two  or  three  weeks,  when  they  descend  and 
pupate. 

There  is  but  a single  brood.  They  sometimes  attack 
plum,  cherry  and  elm  trees. 

The  best  and  most  effective  remedy  is  to  spray  the  lar- 
vae with  arsenical  poison. 

THE  STRAWBERRY  LEAF  ROLLER. 

{Phoxopteris  comptana) 

This  insect  generally  hibernates  in  the  pupa  state,  roll- 
ei  up  in  the  strawberry  leaf ; but  sometimes  as  an  imago. 

Those  that  have  wintered  as  pupae  emerge  in  April 
and  May,  and  deposit  their  eggs  in  May  and  June  ; the  lar- 
vae getting  their  growthin  July.  The  second  brood  matures 
late  in  September. 


36. — Moth  of  Strawberry  L,eaf  Roller. 


EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY, 


35 


The  only  effectual  remedy  is  to  mow  the  strawberry  field 

% 

close,  after  the  fruit  has  been  picked,  and  after  letting  the 
grass,  etc.,  become  dry,  burn  it. 

FOREST  TENT  CATERPILLAR. 

( Clisiocampa  sylvatica.  Harris.) 

The  Forest  Tent  Caterpillar  hibernates  in  the  egg  state, 
the  larvae  often  emerging  before  the  leaves  on  the  tree  are 
out ; but  are  able  to  fast  from  a week  to  ten  days,  and  so 


Fig.  39- 

Forest  Tent  Caterpillar,  Moth  and  Kgg-mass. 

suffer  no  injury  from  their  early  appearance.  There  is  but 
a single  yearly  brood.  When  there  are  large  numbers  of 
larvae  they  swarm  and  defoliate  acres  of  shrubbery.  They 
attain  their  growth  in  June,  pupate,  emerge  the  same  year, 
and  lay  their  eggs  in  vertical  belts  around  the  twigs.  These 
belts  are  covered  with  a mucous  which  is  .sometimes  so  thick 
that  the  eggs  cannot  be  seen. 


36 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


COMMON  TENT  CATERPILLAR. 

(C.  Americana.) 

of  our  orchards  does  not  essentially  differ  in  its  habits.  Its 
egg  masses  may  be  distinguished  from  the  fact  that  they 


Fig.  40  and  41. — Moth  and  Kgg-mass  of  Common  Tent  Caterpilar. 


taper  at  the  ends,  instead  of  ending  abruptly  and  vertically. 

They  are  called  Tent  Caterpillars  because  they  spin  a 
web,  living  in  a community  under  it  and  going  out  twice 
a day  to  feed. 

Remedies.  The  tents  may  be  destroyed  or  the  larvae 
killed  as  they  crawl  over  the  trunks  of  the  trees.  The 
best  method,  however,  is  spraying  the  trees  with  arsenical 
poison,  which  will  not  only  destroy  the  larvae  but  also 
many  other  injurious  insects  infecting  the  tree. 

THE  TOMATO  WORM. 

(Macrosila  quinquemaculata.) 

This  insect  is  also  frequently  called  the  potato  worm. 
The  pupa  (in  which  form  it  hibernates),  is  readily  recog- 
nized by  the  case  in  which  the  tongue  develops  being  bent 
around  so  that  it  resembles  the  handle  of  a pitcher.  The 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


37 


Figs.  42  and  43. — Tomato  Worm  and  Pupa.  (About  one-fourth  natural  size.) 

larva  is  a large  green  caterpillar  with  oblique  whitish 
stripes  on  the  sides  and  a horn  on  the  anal  extremity.  The 
imago  emerges  in  June  and  July. 

The  larvae  are  so  large  that  hand  picking  is  a good 
remedy.  The  moths  may  be  caught  with  a net. 

THE  CODLING  MOTH. 

[Carpocapsa  pomonella,  Finn.) 

The  Codling  Moth  is  easily  distinguished  from  other 
moths  by  a large  egg-shaped  spot,  brown  in  color,  edged 
with  a copper  and  situated  on  the  hinder  margin  of  each 
fore-wing.  It  generally  hibernates  as  a pupa,  emerging 
in  the  spring  about  the  time  the  petals  of  the  apple-blos- 
soms fall. 

The  female  lays  her  eggs  in  the  calyx  or  eye  of  the 


Fig.  44.— Tarva  of  Codling  Moth. 

forming  apple.  These  eggs  hatch  in  about  a week  and  the 
grub  eats  into  the  core.  The  larvae  become  full-grown  in 
three  or  four  weeks.  About  this  time  the  prematurely 
ripened  fruit  falls  to  the  ground. 

Sometimes  the  worm  escapes  before  and  sometimes  not 


38 


EBERHART’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


until  after  the  fruit  has  fallen.  Those  leaving  before  crawl 
down  the  trunk,  or  lower  themselves  by  a silken  thread, 
which  they  have  the  power  of  spinning. 

The  first  and  last  segments  of  the  body  are  at  first  * 
black  but  become  brown  as  the  grub  matures  ; the  other 
segments  each  have  six  or  eight  spots  on  them,  from  which 
arise  little  hairs. 

The  larva  pupates  in  a cocoon  placed  in  a crevice  of 
the  bark  or  in  some  other  sheltered  place.  There  are  two 
yearly  broods. 

Remedies.  Icheumon  flies  destroy  some.  The  fal- 
len fruit  should  be  gathered  or  the  hogs  allowed  to  devour 
it,  thus  destroying  many  larvae.  The  best  method,  how- 
ever, is  to  put  bands  around  the  trunks  of  the  trees.  The 
larvae  will  pupate  in  these  and  may  be  gathered  and 
destroyed.  These  bands  should  be  examined  every  ten 
days  or  less  from  the  last  of  May  to  the  last  of  August. 

CABBAGE  BUTTERFLIES. 

In  the  list  of  injurious  insects,  Cabbage  Butterflies 
occupy  a prominent  place,  because  their  field  of  operation 
is  so  extensive,  and  the  means  of  exterminating  them,  as 
yet,  so  imperfect. 

THE  EUROPEAN  CABBAGE  BUTTERFLY 

{Pier is  rapes.) 

was  first  noticed  in  this  country  in  the  year  1857  by  a Mr. 


EBERHAR7  yS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


39 


- 

Bowles  of  Quebec.  Not  long  after,  it  spread  into  New 
England  and  New  York,  and  a few  years  later  it  was  plen- 
tiful all  over  the  country. 

It  passes  the  winter  in  the  pupa  state,  the  perfect  insect 
emerging  early  in  the  spring.  There  are  about  five  broods 


Fig.  46. 

European  Cabbage  Butterflies  (male  and  female). 

during  the  year,  in  the  latitude  of  Illinois.  This  number 
increases  as  we  go  farther  south,  and  vice  versa. 

The  female  insect  is  distinguished  from  the  male  in 
that  it  has  two  spots  on  its  wings,  while  the  male  has  only 


one. 


40  EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


These  eggs  are  usually  lai'd  on  the  upper  side  of  a 
cabbage  leaf,  and  are  not  collected  in  a mass  in  one  place, 


Fig.  47. — I,arva  of  European  Cabbage  Butterfly. 

but  are  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  leaf.  When  about 
to  pupate,  the  laivae  seek  shelter  under  boards  lying  in  the 
field,  or  under  the  copings  of  walls  and  fences. 

Remedies.  By  far  the  greater  number  of  Cabbage 
Butterflies  are  destroyed  by  a parasite  (. Pteromalus  pupa- 
rum)  > which  lays  its  eggs  on  the  pupa,  and  the  little  mag- 
gots hatching  out  eat  their  way  into  the  body  of  the  insect, 
an  operation  attended  with  much  pain.  They  devour  the 
fatty  portions,  thus  preventing  the  pupa  from  transforming 
into  the  perfect  state. 

By  placing  boards  in  the  cabbage  field,  the  pupae, 
which  will  soon  be  found  on  the  under  side  of  these,  may 
be  collected  and  placed  in  a box  covered  with  a screen,  to 
allow  the  parasites  to  hatch  out  and  escape,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  cabbage  insect  cannot. 

Of  late  years  another  natural  remedy  is  rivalling  the 
parasite  mentioned  above,  for  its  efficacy  in  disposing  of 
the  Cabbage  Butterfly. 

This  is  a contageous  disease  which  is  prevalent  among 
the  larvae,  and  destroys  them  in  a short  time.  Instances 


EBERHAR T'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


41 


are  known  where  a whole  field  has  been  entirely  cleared  of 
larvae  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  symptoms  of  the  disease  are  that  shortly  after 
mid-summer  the  larva  has  an  ashy  appearance,  and  later 
becomes  greenish  milky. 

After  the  death,  which  occurs  in  a few  hours,  the  body 
dries  or  shrivels  up  and  on  being  touched  crumbles  to 
pieces. 

Professor  S.  A. Forbes,  the  State  Entomologist  of  Illi- 
nois, made  a series  of  experiments,  by  trying  to  breed  the 
bacteria  of  this  disease  in  distilled  water,  and  then  to  clear 
an  infested  field  by  communicating  the  bacteria  to  some  of 
the  larvae.  The  success  of  the  experiment  has  not  yet 
become  established,  but  it  is  hoped  that  it  soon  will  be. 

The  larvae  may  be  destroyed  by  sprinkling  them  with  a 
mixture  of  pyrethrum  and  water,  which  has  the  advantage 
of  killing  the  worms,  and  at  the  same  time  it  is  perfectly 
harmless  in  its  effects  on  the  human  race,  so  that  no  evil 
results  come  from  sprinkling  it  on  the  cabbages.  A child 
with  a net  can  do  a great  deal  of  good  by  capturing  the 
butterflies. 

THE  SOUTHERN  CABBAGE  BUTTERFLY. 

Pier  is  protodice. 

is  a native  of  this  country,  and  does  not  differ  essentially 
in  its  habits  from  the  European  or  imported  species,  but  it 
is  far  less  injurious. 


42 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig.  48. — Southern  Cabbage  Butterfly  (female).  (One-fourth  natural  size.) 

Some  gardners  have  found  sawdust  impregnated  with 
carbolic  acid,  an  efficient  remedy. 

The  tachina  fly  is  another  parasite  similar  in  its  opera- 


Fig.  49. — Southern  Cabbage  Butterfly  (male). 


tions  to  the  chalcid  fly  (. Pterovialus  pup ar uni),  mentioned 
above. 


THE  CABBAGE  PLUSIA, 

{Plusia  brassicce.  Riley.) 


“ In  the  months  of  August  and  September,”  says  Pro- 
fessor Riley,  “the  larvae  may  be  found  quite  abundant  on 
thi  plant  (ca  bbage),  gnawing  large,  irregular  holes  in  the 
leaves.  It  is  a pale  green  translucent  worm,  marked  lon- 
gitudinally with  still  paler,  more  opaque  lines,  and  like  all 
the  known  larvae  of  the  family  to  which  it  belongs,  it  has 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


43 


but  two  pairs  of  abdominal  pro-legs,  the  two  anterior  seg- 
ments, which  are  usually  furnished  with  such  legs  in  ordi- 
nary caterpillars,  not  having  the  slightest  trace  of  any, 
consequently,  they  have  to  loop  the  body  in  marching,  as 
represented  in  the  figure,  and  are  true  “Span-worms.” 
Their  bodies  are  very  soft  and  tender,  and  as  they  live 
exposed  on  the  outside  of  the  plants,  and  often  rest  motion- 
less, with  the  body  arched,  for  hours  at  a time,  they  are 
espied  and  devoured  by  many  of  their  enemies,  such  as 
birds,  toads,  etc.  They  are  also  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
at  least  two  parasites,  and  die  very  often  from  disease,  espe- 
cially in  wet  weather,  so  that  they  are  never  likely  to 
increase  quite  as  badly  as  the  butterflies  just  now  described. 


Fig.  50.  Fig.  51. 

Cabbage  Plusia  and  Larva. 


“ When  full-grown,  this  worm  weaves  a very  thin, 
loose  white  cocoon,  sometimes  between  the  leaves  of  the 
plant  on  which  it  fed,  but  more  often  in  some  more  shel- 
tered situation,  and  changes  to  the  chrysalis,  which  varies 
from  a pale  yellowish  green  to  brown,  and  h#$  a consider#- 


44 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


ble  protuberance  at  the  end  of  the  wing  and  leg  cases, 
caused  by  the  long  proboscis  of  the  inclosed  moth  being  bent 
back  at  that  point.  This  chrysalis  is  soft,  the  skin  being 
very  thin,  and  it  is  furnished  at  the  extermity  with  an  ob- 
tuse roughened  projection  which  emits  two  converging 
points,  and  several  short  curled  bristles,  by  the  aid  of 
which  it  is  enabled  to  cling  to  its  cocoon. 

“The  moth  is  of  a dark  smoke  gray,  inclining  to 
brown,  variegated  with  light  grayish  brown,  and  marked  in 
the  middle  of  each  front  wing  with  a small  oval  spot  and  a 
somewhat  U-shaped  silvery  white  mark,  as  in  the  figure. 
The  male  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  female  by  a large 
tuft  of  golden  hairs,  covering  a few  black  ones,  which 
spring  from  each  side  of  his  abdomen  towards  the  tip. 

‘ ‘ The  suggestions  given  for  destroying  the  larvae  of 
the  cabbage  butterflies,  apply  equally  well  to  those  of  the 
Cabbage  Plusia,  and  drenching  with  a cresylic  wash  will 
be  found  even  more  effectual,  as  the  worms  drop  to  the 
ground  with  the  slightest  jar.” 

THE  MELON  WORM. 

( Phacellura  hyalinatilis.  "Linn.) 

This  insect  hibernates  as  a pupa  rolled  up  in  the  leaves 
of  some  plant  or  tree.  Says  Willet : “ The  Melon  Worms 

are  of  a light,  yellowish-green  color,  nearly  translucent, 
have  a few  scattered  hairs,  and  when  mature,  are  about  an 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


45 


inch  and  a quartei  in  length.  They  ‘ web  up  ’ in  the  leaves 
of  the  melon,  or  of  any  plant  growing  near,  which  has  flex- 
ible leaves,  forming  a slender  brown  chrysalis,  three-quar- 
ters of  an  inch  in  length.  Hundreds  of  these  pupae  were 


Fig.  5--  Fig  53- 

Melon  Worm  and  Moth. 


found  rolled  up  in  leaves  of  the  tomato  and  sweet  potato. 
In  passing  through  one  of  the  patches  referred  to,  numbers 
of  small,  beautiful  moths  rose  from  the  grass  and  weeds. 
Their  wings  when  extended  measured  an  inch  across,  and 
were  of  an  iridescent  pearly  whiteness,  except  a narrow 
black  border.  Their  legs  and  bodies  presented  the  same 
glistening  whiteness,  and  the  abdomen  terminated  in  a 
curious  tuft  of  white  appendages,  like  feathers;  of  a pretty 
buff  color,  tipped  with  white  and  black.  These  moths 
proved  to  be  the  mature  Melon  Worms  which  had  emerged 
from  the  chrysalids  referred  td.” 

Remedies-  Plant  early  and  pick  off  the  first  brood 
of  worms  by  hand.  An  ichneumon-fly  (. Pimpla  conquisitor) 


46 


EBERHAkT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


and  a species  of  tachina-fly  are  two  parasites  which  prey 
upon  the  Melon  Worm. 

THE  PALMER  WORM. 

( Ypsolophus  pometellus.  Harris.) 

During  the  beginning  of  summer  or  the  latter  part  of 
spring,  greenish  ochre-colored  larvae  may  be  noticed  feed- 
ing on  the  leaves  of  the  apple  and  cherry  trees. 

The  following  account  of  this  insect,  which  is  com- 


’Fig.  54.  Moth  of  the  Palmer  Worm. 

monly  called  the  Palmer  Worm,  is  taken  from  Saunder’s 
Insects  Injurious  to  Fruits  : 

“ It  lives  in  societies,  making  its  home  in  a mass  of 
half-eaten  and  browned  leaves,  drawn  together  by  silken 
threads,  from  which  it  drops  when  the  tree  or  branch  is 
jarred,  suspended  in  the  air  by  a thread  of  silk.  The  larva 
is  of  a pale  yellowish-green  color,  with  a dusky  or  a blackish 
stripe  along  each  side,  edged  above  by  a narrow  whitish 
stripe  ; there  is  also  a dusky  line  along  the  middle  of  the 
back.  Its  head  is  shining  yellow,  and  the  top  of  the 
next  segment  is  of  the  same  color ; on  each  ring  there 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


47 


are  several  small  black  dots,  from  each  of  which  arises 
a fine  yellow  hair.  While  young  the  caterpillars  eat 
only  the  green  pulpy  tissue  of  the  leaves,  leaving  the  net- 
work of  veins  entire  ; later  on  they  consume  the  whole  of 
the  leaf  except  its  coarser  veins.  They  also  frequently  gnaw 
holes  or  irregular  cavities  in  the  young  apples.  These 
larvse  feed  on  the  leaves  of  the  cherry  as  well  as  those  of 
the  apple. 

“ When  full-grown  they  are  about  half  an  inch  long. 
They  then  change  to  chrysalids  within  the  mass  of  eaten 
leaves  occupied  by  the  larvae,  and  ordinarily  spin  a slight 
cocoon  in  a fold  of  a leaf,  but  when  they  are  very  abundant 
the  foliage  is  so  entirely  consumed  that  they  have  to  look 
for  shelter  elsewhere.  Their  chrysalids  are  then  often 
found  under  dry  leaves  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  in 
crevices  in  the  bark  of  the  tree,  and  in  other  suitable  hiding- 
places.  The  chrysalis  is  about  a quarter  of  an  inch  long;  at 
first  it  is  of  a tawny  yellow  color,  which  gradually  changes 
to  a darker  hue.  In  ten  or  twelve  days  the  perfect  insect  is 
produced. 

“The  moth  is  of  an  ash-gray  color.  The  fore  wings 
are  sprinkled  with  black  atoms,  and  have  four  black  dots 
near  the  middle,  and  six  or  seven  smaller  ones  along  the 
hinder  margin  The  hind  wings  are  dusky  above  and 
beneath,  with  a glossy  azure-blue  reflection,  blackish  veins, 


48 


EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY, 


and  long,  dusky  fringes.  The  antennae  are  alternately 
striped  with  black  and  white.  Sometimes  the  fore  wings 
are  of  a tawny  yellow,  in  other  specimens  they  are  tinged 
with  purplish  red,  and  in  some  the  dots  are  faint  or  en- 
tirely wanting.  They  rest  with  their  long,  narrow  wings 
folded  together  and  laid  flat  upon  their  backs.” 

Remedies.  “Showering  the  trees  with  whale-oil 
soap  and  water  has  been  recommended,  but  the  use  of  Paris 
green  and  water  would  prove  more  effectual;  the  water 
would  dislodge  many  of  the  larvae,  and  there  mainder  would 
be  destroyed  by  eating  the  poisoned  leaves.” 

THE  AMERICAN  SILK  WORM. 

( Telea  polyphemus.  I^inn.) 

Also  commonly  known  in  the  adult  state  as  the  Poly- 
phemus Moth. 

The  full-grown  caterpillar  is  a very  large  worm  often 
approximating  four  inches  in  length.  It  feeds  on  the 
leaves  of  the  plum  tree,  and  has  been  reared  somewhat 
extensively  for  its  silk. 

Remedies. — Many  natural  enemies  prey  upon  it 
while  in  the  larva  state.  It  is  never  very  injurious,  its 
economic  interest  lying  principally  in  the  fact  of  its  being 
raised  for  silk,  but  if  it  should  prove  destructive  to  the 
plum  trees  in  any  locality  it  may  be  readily  gotten  rid  of  by 
hand  picking. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


41) 


THE  GREEN  GRAPE  VINE  SPHINX. 

{Darapsa  myron.  Cramer.) 

We  quote  from  Saunders,  having  had  no  opportunity 
of  personally  observing  the  habits  of  this  insect:  ‘‘The 
larva  is  one  of  the  most  common  and  destructive  of  the  leaf 
eating  insects  injurious  to  the  grape.  The  first  brood  of 
the  perfect  or  winged  insects  appears  from  the  middle  to 
the  end  of  May,  when  the  female  deposits  her  eggs  on  the 
under  side  of  the  leaves,  generally  placing  them  singly,  but 
sometimes  in  groups  of  two  or  three.  The  eggs  are  nearly 
round,  about  one-twentieth  of  an  inch  long,  a little  less  in 
width,  smooth,  and  of  a pale  yellowish-green  color,  chang- 
ing to  reddish  before  hatching.  The  young  caterpillar 
comes  out  of  the  egg  in  five  or  six  da}^s,  when  it  makes  its 
first  meal  on  a part  of  the  empty  egg  shell,  and  then  at- 
tacks the  softer  portions  of  the  grape-vine  leaves.  When 
first  hatched,  it  is  one-fifth  of  an  inch  long  of  a pale  yel- 
lowish-green color,  with  a large  head  and  having  a long 
black  horn  near  its  posterior  extremity,  half  as  long  as  its 
body.  As  it  increases  in  size,  the  horn  becomes  relatively 
shorter  and  changes  in  color ; the  markings  of  the  larva 
also  vary  considerably  at  each  moult.  When  full  grown  it 
is  about  two'inches  long,  with  a rather  small  head  of  a pale 
green  color,  dotted  with  yellow,  and  with  a pale-yellow 
stripe  down  each  side  ; the  body  is  green,  of  a slightly 
deeper  shade  than  the  head,  and  covered  with  small  yellow 


50 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


dots  of  granulations  ; along  the  sides  of  the  body  these 
granulations  are  so  arranged  as  to  form  a series  of  seven 
oblique  stripes,  extending  backwards,  and  margined  behind 
with  a darker  green.  A white  lateral  stripe  with  a dark- 
green  margin  extends  from  just  behind  the  head  to  the 
horn  near  the  other  extremity.  Along  the  back  are  a series 
of  seven  spots,  varying  in  color  from  reddish  to  bluish 
green,  granulated  with  black  in  front,  and  sometimes  yellow 
behind  and  at  the  tip.  This  larva  has  the  power  of  draw- 
ing the  head  and  next  two  segments  within  the  fourth  and 
fifth,  causing  these  latter  to  appear  much  distended  ; the 
feet  are  red,  the  pro-legs  pale  green.  Some  specimens 
especially  among  those  of  the  latter  brood,  will  be  found 
exhibiting  remarkable  variations  in  color  ; instead  of  green 
they  assume  a delicate  reddish-pink  hue,  with  markings  of 
darker  shades  of  red  and  brown,  which  so  alter  their  ap- 
pearance that  they  might  at  first  be  readily  taken  for  a dif- 
ferent species  ; a careful  comparison,  however,  will  show 
the  same  arrangements  of  dots  and  spots  as  in  the  normal 
form.  When  full  grown,  the  larva  descends  from  the  vine 
and  draws  a few  leaves  closely  together,  binding  them  with 
silken  threads,  usually  about  or  near  the  base  of  the  vine 
on  which  it  has  fed,  and  within  this  rude  structure  changes 
to  a chrysalis  of  a pale-brown  color,  dotted  and  streaked 


EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


51 


with  a darker  shade,  and  with  a row  of  oval  dark  brown 
spots  along  each  side. 

The  moths  from  this  first  brood  of  larvae  usually  appear 
during  the  latter  part  of  J uly,  when  the}"  deposit  eggs  for  a 
second  brood,  which  mature  late  in  September,  pass  the 
winter  in  the  pupa  state,  and  emerge  as  moths  in  the  fol- 
lowing May. 

The  wings  of  this  insect,  when  fully  expanded,  meas- 
ure about  two  and  a half  inches  across,  their  form  being 
long  and  narrow. 

The  fore  wings  are  of  a dark  olive-green  color,  crossed 
by  bands  and  streaks  of  greenish  gray,  and  shaded  on  the 
outer  margin  with  the  same  hue.  The  hind  wings  are  dull 
red,  with  a patch  of  greenish  gray  next  the  body,  shading 
gradually  into  the  surrounding  color.  On  the  under  side 
the  red  appears  on  the  fore  wings,  the  hinder  pair  being 
greenish  gray.  The  antennae  are  dull  white  above,  rosy 
below,  head  and  shoulder  covers  deep  olive-green,  the  rest 
of  the  body  of  a paler  shade  of  ^reen  ; underneath  the 
body  is  dull  gray. 

This  moth  rests  quietly  during  the  day,  taking  wing  at 
dusk,  when  it  is  extremely  active  ; its  flight  is  very  swift 
and  strong,  and  as  it  darts  suddenly  from  flower  to  flower, 
rapidly  vibrating  its  wings,  remaining  poised  in  the  air 
over  the  objects  of  its  search,  while  the  long,  slender  tongue 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


is  inserted  and  the  sweets  extracted,  it  reminds  one  strongly 
of  a humming  bird. 

‘ ‘ The  caterpillars  are  very  destructive  to  the  foliage  of 
the  vine,  being  capable  of  consuming  an  enormous  quantity 
of  food  ; one  or  two  of  them,  when  nearly  full  grown,  will 
almost  strip  a small  vine  of  its  foliage  in  the  course  of  two 
or  three  days.  In  some  districts  they  are  said  to  nip  off  the 
stalks  of  the  half  grown  clusters  of  grapes  so  that  they  fall 
unripe  to  the  ground. 

Remedies. — ‘‘The  readiest  and  most  effectual  method 
of  disposing  of  these  pests  is  to  pick  them  off  the  vines  and 
kill  them.  They  are  easily  found  by  the  denuded  canes 
which  mark  their  course,  or  where  the  foliage  is  dense  they 
may  be  tracked  by  their  large  brown  castings,  which  strew 
the  ground  under  their  places  of  resort.  Nature  has  pro- 
vided a very  efficient  check  to  their  undue  increase,  in  a 
small  parasitic  fly,  a species  of  Ichneumon,  the  female  of 
which  punctures  the  skin  of  the  caterpillar  and  deposits  her 
eggs  underneath,  where  they  soon  hatch  into  young  larva, 
which  feed  upon  the  fatty  portions  of  their  victim,  avoiding 
the  vital  organs.  By  the  time  the  Sphinx  Caterpillar  has 
become  full  grown,  these  parasitic  larvae  have  matured,  and 
eating  their  way  through  the  skin  of  their  host,  they  con- 
struct their  tiny  snow  white  cocoons  on  its  body,  from 
which,  in  about  a week,  the  friendly  fly  escapes  by  pushing 


EBERHAR T ’ S ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


53 


open  a nicely  fitting  lid  at  one  end  of  its  structure.  No 
larva  thus  infested  ever  reaches  maturity  ; it  invariably 
shrivels  up  and  dies. 

THE  AMERICAN  PROCRIS. 

(. Procris  Americana.  Harris.) 

Most  of  the  insects  hibernate  in  the  pupa  state  ; a few 
as  imagos. 

Those  that  winter  as  pupae  emerge  during  June  and 
deposit  their  eggs  in  patches  of  20  or  more  on  the  under 
side  of  the  leaves  of  the  grape.  The  larva  soon  hatch  and 
feed  in  flocks  on  the  back  of  the  leaves. 

“ While  young,  the  little  caterpillars  eat  only  the  soft 


Fig-.  55.  Farvse  of  American  Procris. 

tissues  of  the  leaves,  leaving  the  fine  net-work  of  veins 
untouched,  but  as  they  grow  older  they  devour  all  but  the 
larger  veins.”  (Saunders.)  They  mature  in  August,  and 
pupate  in  a crevice  in  the  bark.  In  a fortnight  the  moths 
emerge,  and  a second  brood  of  larvae  soon  follows.  The 
majority  of  these  remain  through  the  winter  as  chrysalids. 
Remedies.  Spray  the  vines  thoroughly  with  Paris 


54 


EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


green  and  water  (one-half  teaspoonful  of  Paris  green  to  a 
gallon  of  water).  A parasitic  fly  destroys  the  larvae. 

THE  IMPORTED  CURRANT  BORER. 

{Algeria  tipuliformis . Linn.) 

The  imago  is  a pretty,  wasp-like  moth,  measuring  about 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  across  the  expanded  wings.  The 
body  is  bluish  black,  with  three  yellow  bands  across  the 


Figs.  56  and  57. — Imporred  Currant  Borer  and  Moth. 

abdomen.  It  appears  about  the  middle  of  June.  The  fe- 
male deposits  her  eggs  singly  close  to  the  buds. 

They  burrow  into  the  stem  and  bore  up  and  down, 
feeding  on  the  pith.  (Saunders). 

They  pupate  in  the  stem,  having  first  eaten  a hole 
nearly  through  to  the  outer  air,  so  that  when  the  moth  is 
about  to  appear  it  can  easily  burst  through  and  escape. 

Remedy. — Cut  and  burn  all  hollow  stems  found  in 
the  fall  or  spring. 

THE  GOOSEBERRY  FRUIT  WORM. 

Dakruma  convolutella.  Hubner. 

This  insect  hibernates  as  a pupa,  the  moth  appearing 
the  last  of  April  or  the  first  of  May.  The  female  lays  her 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENIOMOLOGY. 


55 


eggs  on  the  young  gooseberries,  the  larvae  burrowing  into 
the  fruit.  Only  a single  hole  is  made  in  a berry. 

When  alarmed  the  worm  backs  out  quick!}'  and  drops 


Fig.  58. — Gooseberry  Fruit  Worm. 

down  a few  inches  by  a silken  thread  which  it  spins. 
Sometimes  it  drops  entirely  down  to  the  ground.  It  pu- 
pates in  a little  brown  cocoon  amid  the  rubbish  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground. 

Remedies. — Hand  picking  and  the  destroying  of  in- 
fested berries. 

Sprinkling  air-slaked  lime  on  the  bushes  in  early 
spring  is  useful  in  preventing  the  female  from  laying.  Re- 
new if  the  rain  washes  it  off. 


56 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


CHAPTER  IY. 

Injurious  Diptera. 

The  order  Diptera,  (“two-winged”)  includes  the  mos- 
quito, the  gnat  and  the  common  house-fly,  the  Hessian  fly, 
etc.  Also  the  Syrphus  and  Tachina  flies  which  are  useful 
because  they  destroy  many  injurious  insects. 

The  larvae  of  Diptera  are  called  maggots. 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  this  order  is  that  the 
second  pair  of  wings  are  not  developed  as  in  other  orders, 
but  are  rudimentary,  serving  as  “balancers.” 

THE  HESSIAN  FLY. 

(i Cecidomyia  destructor , Say.) 

“This  insect  is  double-brooded,  as  the  flies  appear 
both  in  spring  and  in  autumn.  At  each  of  these  periods 
the  fly  lays  twenty  or  thirty  eggs  in  the  leaf  of  the  young 
wheat  plant. 

“ In  about  four  days  in  warm  weather  they  hatch,  and 
the  pale-red  larvae  crawl  down  the  leaf,  working  their  way 
in  between  it  and  the  main  stalk  ; passing  downward  till 
they  come  to  a joint,  just  above  which  they  remain,  a little 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  with  the  head  toward  the 
root  of  the  plant.  Here  they  imbibe  the  sap  by  suction 


EBERHAKT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


57 


alone,  and  by  the  simple  pressure  of  their  bodies  they  be- 
come imbedded  in  the  side  of  the  stem.  Two  or  three 
larvae  thus  imbedded  serve  to  weaken  the  plant  and  cause 
it  to  wither  and  die. 

“The  larvae  become  full  grown  in  five  or  six  weeks, 
then  measuring  about  three-twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length. 
About  the  first  of  December  their  skin  hardens,  becoming 
brown  ; and  then  turns  to  a bright  chestnut  color.  This  is 
the  so-called  flax-seed  state  or  puparium.  In  two  or  three 


weeks  the  ‘larva,’  (or,  more  truly  speaking,  the  semi-pupa), 
becomes  detached  from  the  old  case.  In  this  puparium 
some  of  the  larvae  remain  through  the  winter.  Toward  the 
end  of  April  or  the  beginning  of  May,  the  pupa  becomes 
fully  formed,  and  in  the  middle  of  May  in  New  England, 


58 


EBERHAR T }S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


comes  forth  from  the  brown  puparium,  ‘wrapped  in  a thin 
white  skin/  according  to  Herrick,  ‘which  it  soon  breaks 
and  is  then  at  liberty.’  The  flies  appear  just  as  the  wheat 
is  coming  up  ; they  lay  their  eggs  for  a period  of  three 
weeks,  and  then  entirely  disappear.  The  maggots  hatched 
from  these  eggs  take  the  flax-seed  form  in  June  and  July, 
and  are  thus  found  in  the  harvest  time,  most  of  them  re- 
maining on  the  stubble.  Most  of  the  flies  appear  in  au- 
tumn.0 (From  Packard’s  Injurious  Insects  of  the  West, 
p.  696.) 

Remedies. — There  are  a number  of  parasites  of  the 
Hessian  fly,  which  have  done  a great  deal  of  late  years  to 
check  its  ravages. 

The  predaceous  beetles,  swallows  and  martens  destroy 
many. 

Changing  or  rotating  crops  is  advantageous. 

THE  BLACK  ONION  FLY. 

(Ortalis  flexa.  Wied.) 

The  fly  is  approximately  half  an  inch  in  length,  each 
wing  having  three  whitish,  oblique,  crescent-shaped  bands, 
or  stripes. 

There  are  two  yearly  broods. 

The  maggots  of  the  first  brood  may  be  found  during 
the  month  of  June.  They  remain  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
days  in  the  pupa  state. 


EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


59 


Fig.  61.  Black  Onion  Fly.  (kines  show  real  size.) 

The  imagos  are  rather  slow  of  flight  and  do  not  fly 
any  great  distance. 

Remedies. — The  only  remedies  that  have  as  yet  been 
tried  with  any  success  are  the  careful  removal  of  all  in- 
fested onions,  and  the  use  of  the  kerosene  emulsion  (see 
Chapter  VIII). 

The  application  of  salt,  in  the  proportion  of  three  or 
four  bushels  to  the  acre,  has  proved  useful. 

THE  IMPORTED  ONION  FLY. 

( Anthomyia  ceparum.  Bouche.) 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  deposited  on  the  bases  of 
the  leaves  during  May  and  June.  The  larvae  appear  soon 
and  proceed  to  eat  their  way  down  to  the  base  of  the  young 
bulb. 

In  about  fourteen  days  they  pupate  in  the  ground,  and 
a couple  of j weeks  later  the  second  brood  of  flies  appear, 
which  generally  lay  their  eggs  on  the  bulb  itself. 


60 


EBERHAR 7 }S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig.  62.  Imported  Onion  Fly. 


Remedies. — Same  as  for  the  black  onion  fly. 

The  sickly  onions  are  readily  known  by  their  turning 
yellow. 

THE  RADISH  FLY. 

( Anthomyia  radicum.  Bouche.) 

“Soon  after  the  early  radishes  come  up, ” says  Dr. 
Packard,  “the  roots  are  attacked  by  small  white  maggots, 
and  when  the  plants  grow  in  old  soil,  the  maggots  are 
especially  destructive.  The  larvae  appear  in  the  spring  as 
soon  as  the  radishes  are  partly  grown.” 

“ When  full-grown  they  change  in  the  ground  to  red- 
dish-brown pupae,  similar  to  those  of  the  onion  and  cab- 
bage maggots.  The  insect  remains  in  this  state  two  or 
three  weeks,  when  the  fly  hatches  and  crawls  up  out  of  the 
ground,  with  its  wing  crumpled  up,  and  climbing  up  the 
side  of  a clod  or  any  perpendicular  surface  which  it  finds, 
these  members  expand  and  assume  their  proper  form  before 
they  become  dried  and  firm.  (Dr.  Fitch’s  Eleventh  Re- 
port.) 


EBERHAR 7'*S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


61 


Remedies. — Destroy  all  infested  roots. 

Salt  and  lime  sprinkled  on  the  plants  will  be  found  use- 
ful. Planting  early  avoids  the  evil  to  a great  extent,  as 
does  also  the  rotation  of  crops. 


62 


EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Injurious  Coeeoptera. 

Coleoptera  ( coleos , a sheath)  are  so  named  because  the 
front  wings  are  usually  horny  and  opaque  and  cover  over 
or  shield  the  back  or  membranous  pair,  which  are  folded 
longitudinally  and  transversely  beneath  them.  These  wing 
covers  are  called  elytra , (singular,  elytron .)  The  members 
of  the  order  are  called  beetles.  The  common  or  popular 
term  for  the  larva  is  “grub”  or  “borer.” 

THE  CORN  ROOT  WORM. 

(Diabrotica  longicornis.) 

The  beetle  may  be  found  in  corn  fields  in  August  and 
September  feeding  on  fallen  pollen  and  thistles  and  other 
composite  plants. 

About  the  middle  of  September  the  females  deposit  their 
eggs  in  little  clusters  in  the  ground,  at  the  bases  of  the  hills 
of  corn.  These  eggs  are  about  one-fortieth  of  an  inch 
long,  resembling  minute  hen’s  eggs.  A microscopic  exam- 
ination will  .show  that  they  are  covered  with  little  six-sided 
pits. 

The  eggs  are  entirely  unprotected,  and  yet  they  weather 
the  winter,  hatching  out  in  the  spring  about  the  time  the 


EBERHART’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


63 


Fig.  63.  Adult  Form  of  the  Corn  Root  Worm.  (Very  highly  enlarged.) 

corn  begins  to  grow.  The  full  grown  larva  is  nearly  half 
an  inch  long.  It  burrows  into  the  roots  of  the  corn,  mining 
lengthwise,  and  causing  them  to  decay  unless  the  season  is 
very  wet. 

The  worm  pupates  in  August,  in  an  oval  cell  in  the 
ground,  and  the  beetle  hatching  out,  commences  to  feed  on 
the  pollen  of  the  corn,  frequently  devouring  the  silk,  and 
if  they  are  not  too  hard,  the  grains  of  corn  also. 

As  the  Corn  Root  Worm  always  stays  in  the  same  lo- 
cality, and  does  not  move  about  much,  there  is  a very  simple 
and  effective  remedy  against  it,  viz.,  the  changing  of  crops, 
which  will  soon  starve  out  the  Root  Worms. 

STRAWBERRY  ROOT  WORMS. 

There  are  three  genera  of  Chrysomelidae , known  as 
Strawberry  Root  Worms,  each  occuring  at  different  times, 
as  follows  : 

Colaspis 


April — June. 


64 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Paiia June — August. 

Scelodonta August — June. 

(Active  from  August — October.) 

They  much  resemble  the  larva  known  as  the  crown 
borer,  but  the  latter  is  footless,  and  so  they  are  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  it. 

The  eggs  are  laid  in  the  ground  at  different  periods  of 
the  year,  according  to  the  species,  the  larvae  feeding  on  the 
roots  of  the  strawberry  leaves. 

The  genus  Scelodonta  feed  only  on  the  strawberry. 
Paria  also  feed  on  the  juniper,  and  Colaspis  on  the  grape. 

Colaspis  hibernates  in  the  egg  state;  Paria  as  an  imago, 
and  Scelodonta  as  a mature  larva.  They  all  may  be  destroyed 
with  Paris  green. 

WIRE  WORMS. 

The  Wire  Worms  belong  to  the  family  Elateridce , and 
to  the  genera  Melanotus , Corymbites  and  Agriotes.  They  are 
hard,  smooth  and  cylindrical,  with  acute  senses,  and  pos- 
sessed of  great  activity. 


Fig.  64.  Wire  Worm. 


They  live  three  years  in  the  larva  state,  when  they 
pupate  in  the  earth,  emerging  from  June  to  September. 

Remedies. — Attract  and  destroy  them  by  slices  of  por 
sotied  potato. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


65 


They  do  not  injure  corn  until  the  second  year  of  plant- 
ing on  the  grass  land,  and  letting  the  land  lie  fallow  for  a 
time  is  a good  remedy. 

THE  APPLE-TREE  BORER. 

(Saperda  Candida.  Fabr.) 

This  insect  is  also  called  the  round-headed  borer.  The 
eggs  are  laid  in  the  bark  at  the  bottom  of  the  tree,  during 
May  and  June.  The  larvae  bore  upward  into  the  wood, 
where  they  remain  for  two  or  three  years,  when  pupating  in 
a little  cocoon  some  eight  or  ten  inches  from  their  starting 
place,  they  emerge  during  midsummer. 

Remedies. — Digging  out  the  larvae  is  recommended. 
Soft  soap  and  soda,  mixed  with  water  to  the  consistency  of 
paint,  and  applied  once  in  June,  and  once  in  July  is 
effective. 


Fig.  65.  Fig.  66. 

Round-headed  Apple-tree  Borer  and  Beetle. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


ft  6 


THE  FLAT  HEADED  APPLE-TREE  BORER. 

(Chrysobothris  femorata.  Fabr.) 

The  Flat  Headed  Borer  lives  one  year,  hibernating  in  a 
hole  in  the  wood  of  the  tree.  It  pupates  from  April  to  June, 
— in  Illinois  about  May,  — emerging  in  June  and  July.  The 


Fig.  67.  Fig.  68. 

Flat-headed  Apple-tree  Borer  and  Beetle. 


adult  is  a flat  beetle,  which  deposits  its  eggs  either  singly 
or  in  patches  on  the  bark  or  under  scales. 

The  larvae  hatch  in  a few  days  and  burrow  in  the  sap- 
wood.  A few  will  soon  destroy  the  tree. 

The  remedies  are  the  same  as  for  the  round-headed 
borer.  The  larvae  are  found  near  the  bottom  of  the  trunk. 

THE  PLUM  CURCULIO. 

(1 Conotrachelus  nenuphar.  Herbst.) 

The  Plum  Weevil  hibernates  in  the  adult  state.  The 
beetle  is  a short  thick  one,  with  a rough-surface,  and  much 
resembles  a dried  bud.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  apple 
curculio  by  hiving  two  humps  on  the  back.  The  female 
makes  a hole  in  the  fruit  with  her  snout,  in  which  she  lays 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY 


67 


Fig  J9.  Plum  Curculio.  (Greatly  enlarged.  Showing  also  the  crescentic  cu 

in  the  fruit.) 

hei  eggs,  and  than  makes  a crescentic  cut  around  the 
place. 

The  best  remedy  is  to  spread  sheets  under  the  tree,  and 
hit  the  trunk,  jarring  off  the  beetles  which  may  be  collected 
and  burned. 


Fig.  70.  Z,afva  of  Plum  Curculio. 

THE  APPLE  CURCULIO. 

{Anthonomus  quadrigibbus.  Say.) 


The  Apple  Curculio  has  four  humps  and  makes  a round 
puncture  in  the  fruit,  in  which  the  eggs  are  deposited. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig.  71.  Apple  Curculio. 

The  larvae  go  down  to  the  core.  They  pupate  in  about  a 
month  in  the  fruit,  and  a fortnight  or  so  later  the  perfect 
insect  appears. 

The  only  remedy  known  as  yet  to  be  at  all  useful  is  to 
jar  the  infested  apples  off  the  tree  and  feed  them  to  the 
swine. 

THE  PLUM  GOUGER. 

( Coccotorus  scutellaris.  L,e.C) 


The  Plum  Gouger  is  somewhat  similar  in  habits  to  the 
plum  curiculio.  Its  footless  larvae  bore  into  the  seed,  where 


Fig.  72.  Plum  Gouger. 


they  live.  The  same  remedies  apply  that  are  used  for  the 
plum  curculio. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


THE  PEACH  CURCULIO. 

(Ithycerus  noveboracensis.  Forster.) 

Also  commonly  known  as  the  New  York  Weevil.  It 
is  the  largest  speecies  of  snout- beetle  occurring  in  this 


Fig.  73.  Fig.  74- 

Larva  and  image  of  the  Peach  Curculio  or  New  York  Weevil. 

country.  The  beetles  appear  in  May  and  June,  doing  con- 
siderable injury  to  the  buds  and  twigs  of  the  peach  tree, 
although  frequently  found  in  the  apple,  plum,  pear  and 
cherry.  The  female  makes  a hole  in  the  twig  under  the 
bark  in  which  she  deposits  an  egg.  The  larvae  are  foot- 
less. 

Remedies.  The  same  as  for  the  plum  curculio. 

THE  POTATO  BEETLE. 

(Doryphora  10-lineata.  Say.) 

Also  commonly-called  the  Potato-bug  and  the  Color- 
ado Potato  Beetle,  the  last  name  being  the  correct  one. 

It  is  too  well  known  to  require  any  description,  but  a 
few  points  may  be  stated  which  most  people  are  not  famil- 
iar with. 


70 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


They  pass  the  winter  in  the  perfect  or  beetle  state, 
remaining  dormant  in  the  ground,  and  appearing  early  in 
the  spring.  The  females  deposit  their  eggs  on  the  under 
side  of  the  leaves  and  the  orange-colored  eggs  hatch  in 
about  a week  into  little  grubs.  These  begin  feeding  on 
the  leaves,  and  maturing  in  two  or  three  weeks  descend  to 
the  ground  and  pupate  under  rubbish  or  in  the  earth. 

They  remain  from  ten  to  twelve  days  in  this  state, 
when  they  emerge  and  the  process  is  repeated, — the  number 
of  yearly  broods  varying,  sometimes  being  as  many  as  four 
or  five,  and  at  other  times  only  two  or  three. 

A closely  allied  beetle  ( Doryphora  juncta , Germar),  is 
often  mistaken  for  the  real  one,  but  this  latter  feeds  on 
various  species  of  Solanum,  (the  genus  which  includes  the 
ground-cherry,  horse-nettle,  etc.,)  and  never  attacks  the 
potato. 

Remedies.  Paris  green  or  some  other  arsenical  poi- 
son is  the  most  effectual.  One  pound  of  it  .should  be  mixed 
with  twenty  of  pulverized  plaster,  or  with  common  flour, 
and  dusted  on  the  leaves  in  the  early  morning,  the  dew 
holding  it  there. 

It  may  also  be  applied  to  advantage  just  after  a 
shower.  A duster  made  of  a tin  box,  with  a perforated 
bottom,  and  a handle  four  or  five  feet  long,  is  recom- 
mended. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


71 


Care  should  be  taken  not  to  inhale  any  of  the  green, 
as  it  is  a deadly  poison. 

London  purple  may  be  substituted  for  the  green  (page 
49),  and  is  a deadly  poison. 

THE  PEA  WEEVIL. 

(. Bruchus  pisi.  Linn.) 

“The  Pea  Weevil,”  says  Teat,  “ is  easily  distinguished 
from  all  other  species  of  the  genus  with  which  we  are 
troubled,  by  its  larger  size,  and  by  having  on  the  tip  of  the 
abdomen  * * * two  dark  oval  spots,  which  cause  the 

remaining  white  portion  to  look  something  like  the  letter 
T.  It  is  about  0.18-0.20  inch  long  and  its  general  color  is 
a rusty  black,  with  more  or  less  white  on  the  wing  covers, 
and  * * * on  the  hinder  part  of  the  thorax,  near  the 
scutel.  * * * It  is  supposed  to  be  an  indigenous 
North  American  insect  and  was  first  noticed  * * * 

around  Philadelphia,  from  whence  it  has  spread  over  most 
of  the  state  where  the  pea  is  cultivated.  The  female  de- 
posits her  eggs  on  the  outside  of  the  pod.  It  is  a very 
general  remark  that  peas  are  ‘ ‘ stung  by  the  bug 5 ’ and  the 
impression  prevails  * * * that  the  female  punctures 

and  deposits  her  eggs  in  the  pea  in  which  the  larva  is  to  be 
nourished.”  The  beetles  appear  about  the  time  the  peas 
blossom  and  the  yellow  eggs  are  laid  on  any  part  whatever 
of  the  surface  of  the  pod,  being  held  there  by  fluid  which  is 
rather  viscid,  and  on  drying  is  white  and  glistening,  quot~ 


72  EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig.  76. 


Pea  Weevil  and  Larva. 


in g again  from  Treat  : “ The  newly  hatched  larva  is  of  a 

deep  yellow  color,  with  a black  head,  and  it  makes  a direct 
cut  through  the  pod  into  the  nearest  pea.  The  hole  soon 
filling  up  in  the  pod,  and  leaving  but  a mere  speck,  not  as 
large  as  a pinhole,  in  the  pea.  The  larva  feeds  and  grows 
apace,  and  generally  avoids  the  germ  of  the  future  sprout, 
perhaps  because  it  is  distasteful  so  that  most  of  the  buggy 
peas  will  germinate  as  readily  as  those  that  have  been 
untouched.  When  full  grown  the  larva  * * * eats  a cir- 
cular hole  on  one  side  of  the  pea,  and  leaves  only  the  thin 
hull  as  a covering.  It  then  retires  and  lines  its  cell  with  a 
thin  and  smooth  layer  of  paste,  pushing  aside  and  entirely 
excluding  all  excrement,  and  in  this  cell  it  assumes  the 
pupa  state,  and  the  beetle  when  ready  to  issue  has  only  to 
eat  its  way  through  the  thin  piece  of  hull  which  the  larva 
had  left  covering  the  hole.  It  has  been  proved  that  the 
beetle  would  die  if  it  had  not,  during  its  larval  life,  pre- 


EBER HART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY, 


73 


pared  this  passage  way,  for  Earnest  Menault  asserts  that  the 
beetle  dies  when  the  hole  is  pasted  over  with  a piece  of 
paper  even  thinner  than  the  hull  itself.” 

Remedies. — Take  care  that  no  buggy  peas  are  plant- 
ed. Put  them  in  water;  the  sound  ones  sink  and  the  buggy 
ones  float  on  top  and  may  be  readily  skimmed  off.  In 
localities  where  few  of  your  neighbors  raise  peas,  or  where 
they  consent  to  do  the  same  as  you,  if  you  plant  no  peas  at 
all  for  a year  or  two  the  bugs  will  be  effectually  gotten  rid 
of,  or  at  least  lessened  so  that  they  will  do  comparatively 
little  damage. 

THE  ASPARAGUS  BEETLE. 

( Crioceris  asparagi.  Iyinti.) 

Hibernating  in  the  adult  state  the  females  deposit  their 
first  eggs  in  May.  The  larvae  hatch  in  about  a week. 

The  eggs  are  blackish  and  the  larvae  a sombre  ash 
color.  They  feed  on  the  bark  on  the  young  shoots  of  aspa- 
ragus. In  the  latter  part  of  June  they  pupate  in  slight  co- 
coons under  rubbish  or  in  the  earth.  The  second  brood  of 
larvae  emerge  usually  between  August  the  ioth  and  20th 
and  the  beetles  mature  in  September. 

Remedies.  “A  small  shining  black  parasitic  fly” 
destroys  large  numbers.  Destroying  in  early  spring  all 
young  shoots  or  seedlings,  in  fact  all  plants  but  the  more 
mature  marketable  ones,  is  effectual,  as  the  female  must 


74  EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig-  77-— Asparagus  Beetle. 


perforce  deposit  her  eggs  on  the  latter,  as  and  these  are  cut 
and  sold  every  few  days  the  eggs  are  not  allowed  to  hatch 
in  the  field. 


THE  STRIPED  CUCUMBER  BEETLE 

(. Dmbroiica  vittata.) 


This  insect  is  universally  distributed,  and  wherever 
found  is  looked  upon  by  the  cucumber  raiser  as  his  greatest 
enemy. 

The  adult  beetles  appear  early  in  the  spring  and  at 
once  proceed  to  their  destructive  occupation. 


Fig.  78. — Striped  Cucumber  Beetle. 


They  are  said  to  frequently  devour  the  terminal  shoot 
of  the  sprouting  seed  thus  effectually  destroying  the  plant. 

The  larvae  which  are  hatched  later  on,  are  whitish 
grubs,  about  half  an  inch  long:  becoming  full  grown  in 
about  a month  after  hatching. 


EBERHAR T yS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


75 


They  pupate  in  cells  in  the  ground.  There  are  two  or 
three  yearly  broods. 

Remedies.  The  cheapest  and.  most  effectual  remedy 
is  to  cover  the  plants  with  boxes,  open  at  the  bottom  and 
covered  with  netting. 

Sprinkling  the  plants  early  in  the  day  with  a mixture 
of  two  parts  of  Paris  green  and  eight  parts  of  flour  is 
recommended. 

THE  GRAPE-VINE  FLEA-BEETLE. 

( Graptodera  chalybea.  Illig.) 

Hibernate  in  the  adult  state.  Comes  forth  early  in  the 
spring  and  feeds  on  the  buds  as  soon  as  they  commence 
swelling. 

In  three  or  four  weeks  it  deposits  its  eggs  in  little 
clusters  on  the  under  sides  of  the  leaves.  The  eggs  are 
yellowish  in  color,  and  “in  a few  days  produce  colonies  of 
small,  dark-brown  larvae,  which  feed  on  the  upper  side  of 


Fig.  79-  Fig.  80. 

Grapevine  Flee-beetle  and  Larva. 


the  leaves,  ridding  them  ; and  when  numerous  they  devour 


76 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


the  whole  leaf  except  the  larger  veins,  and  sometimes  en- 
tirely strip  the  vines  of  foliage.” 

In  about  a month  the  larvae  mature,  “when  it  is  a 
little  more  than  three-tenths  of  an  inch  long,  usually  of  a 
light  brown  color,  sometimes  dark,  and  occasionally  paler 
and  yellowish.  The  head  is  black,  and  there  are  six  or 
eight  shining  black  spots  on  each  of  the  other  segments  of 
the  body,  from  each  dot  arising  a single  brownish  hair. 
The  under  surface  is  paler  than  the  upper,  its  feet,  six  in 
number,  are  black,  and  there  is  a fleshy,  orange-colored  pro- 
leg on  the  terminal  segment.” 

“When  mature,  the  larvae  leave  the  vines  and  descend  to 
the  ground,  where  they  burrow  into  the  earth  and  form 
small,  smooth,  oval  cells,  within  which  they  change  to 
dark-yellowish  chrysalids.  ’ ’ (Saunders . ) 

The  beetles  appear  in  a fortnight  or  so  and  feed  upon 
the  leaves.  They  are  possessed  of  highly  developed  thighs, 
which  enable  them  to  jump  some  distance,  and  on  account 
of  which  they  receive  their  name. 

Remedies,  spray  the  plants  thoroughly  in  the 
spring  with  Paris  green  and  water  (a  teaspoonful  to  a 
gallon). 

The  absence  of  rubbish  about  the  vines  will  remove  the 
shelter  which  the  beetles  seek  and  thus  be  beneficial. 

Sprinkle  air-slaked  lime  around  the  vines  in  the  fall. 


EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY.  77 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Injurious  Hemiptkra. 


Hemiptera  (“  half- winged  ” insects)  have  a portion  of 
the  upper  or  front  wings  thick  and  coriaceous  (leathery). 
The  members  are  called  “ true  bugs,”  and  among  them  are 
the  chinch-bug,  squash-bug,  bed-bug  and  plant-louse. 

The  larvae  are  like  the  perfect  insect  except  that  they 
have  no  wings. 


THE  CHINCH  BUG. 

{Blissus  leucopterus.  Say.) 


The  Chinch  Bug  is  by  far  the  most  formidable  enemy 
with  which  the  raiser  of  corn  has  to  contend.  It  would 
appear  that  nothing  can  be  devised  to  control  the  ravages 


I 


Fig  81. 


Chinch  Bug  and  Pupa. 


Fig  82. 


78  EBERHARTS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


of  the  insect,  but  as  long  as  a possibility  remains,  the  econ- 
omic entomologist  will  seek  for  the  panacea. 

As  a brief  sketch  of  the  life  history  of  the  insect,  we 
quote  as  follows  from  S.  A.  Forbes,  State  Entomologist  of 
Illinois,  who  has  made  a careful  study  of  its  life  and  habits 
for  some  years.  ‘ ‘The  eggs  are  usually  laid  early  in  spring, 
on  the  roots  or  lower  part  of  the  stem  of  grain  in  the  field, 
and  to  these  the  young  are  confined  for  a time  after  they 
hatch. 

As  they  get  larger  and  more  numerous,  they  come  out 
of  the  ground  and  gather  on  the  stalks  of  the  wheat  or 
oats,  remaining  there  until  the  ripening  of  the  grain  com- 
pels them  to  seek  food  elsewhere.  At  this  time  they  are 
commonly  just  beginning  to  acquire  wings,  but  they  mi- 
grate to  the  corn  field  on  foot,  as  a very  general  rule,  gath- 
ering for  the  first  few  days  on  the  outer  rows  of  the  field. 
As  soon  as  the  larger  part  of  the  brood  acquire  wings,  how- 
ever, they  begin  to  scatter  through  the  field,  laying  their 
eggs  on  the  corn,  where  the  second  brood  live  in  the  corn- 
fields until  cold  weather  approaches,  when  they  scatter 
everywhere  for  shelter  under  which  to  pass  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  they  emerge  and  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  grain 
fields  as  already  described.” 

Remedies. — Wet  weather  has  proved  very  destructive 
in  its  effects  upon  Chinch  Bugs ; no  actual  experiments 


EBERIlARt'S  ECONOMIC  EMTOMOLOGV. 


79 


having  been  made,  however,  but  this  is  shown  by  the  testi- 
mony of  past  years.  Frequently  plowing  and  harrowing  a 
narrow  strip  of  land  bordering  the  field  has  offered  an  ob- 
struction to  those  Chinch  Bugs  which  enter  the  field  in 
masses  and  on  foot.  Another  method  is  to  place  boards  on 
edge  around  the  field  and  keep  their  upper  edges  daubed 
with  coal-tar.  As  the  bugs  of  the  first  brood  remain  at 
first  on  the  borders  they  may  be  reached  here  with  insecti- 
cides, and  their  destruction  prevents  the  second  brood  from 
developing. 

Professor  Forbes  found  “that  a simple  mechanical 
mixture  of  water  and  three  per  cent,  of  kerosene”  was 
deadly  to  bugs  of  all  ages,  nor  did  it  injure  the  corn,  pro- 
vided the  kerosene  was  well  emulsed. 

The  corn  should  be  sprayed  with  this  fluid.  He  found 
the  cost  of  this  mixture  to  be  about  four  mills  per  gallon. 
With  proper  appliances  the  cost  ought  not  to  exceed  five 
dollars  an  acre.  And  “if  by  treating  a strip  at  the  outer 
edge  of  a corn  field, — the  few  rows  nearest  a ripening  field 
of  wheat  for  example,  — the  whole  field  could  be  protected 
against  the  savage  ravages  of  the  bugs,  it  would  certainly 
pay  the  farmer  well  to  undertake  this  task.” 

The  greatest  practical  results,  however,  will  probably 
be  obtained  through  the  natural  enemies  of  the  Chinch 


80  EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Bug.  It  was  found  that  lady-bugs  and  predaceous  ground- 
beetles  destroy  a considerable  number. 

But  by  far  the  most  deadly  enemy  of  the  Chinch  Bug 
is  a species  of  bacteria.  This  infests  the  stomach  and  other 
internal  organs,  and  much  resembles  that  found  by  Pasteur 
in  the  silk  worm.  Professor  Forbes’  method  is  to  cultivate 
the  silk  worm  virus  for  the  destruction  of  various  insect 
pests. 

HARLEQUIN  CABBAGE  BUG. 

{Murgantia  (, Strachia ) histrionica . Hahn.) 

This  insect  derives  its  name  from  its  gay  colors  and 
harlequin-like  manners. 

The  eggs  are  about  one-twentieth  of  an  inch  in  length, 
and  very  beautiful  little  fellows  too.  They  are  laid  in  two 
parallel  rows  of  some  half  a dozen  each.  Says  Riley  : 
“When  first  deposited  they  are  green  in  color,  but  soon 
become  white,  with  black  markings.  Their  resemblance  to 
miniature  white  barrels  with  black  hoops  is  very  marked, 
and  the  resemblance  is  heightened  by  a small  black  spot  in 
the  proper  position  for  a bung  hole.  The  sides  of  the  eggs 
which  are  applied  to  each  other  are  almost  entirely  black. 

In  opposition  the  female  moves  her  ovipositor  in  a 
ziz-zag  manner  from  one  row  to  the  other.  The  young 
larva  in  hatching  cuts  out  the  head  of  the  barrel  with  its 
beak  with  the  utmost  neatness  and  precision.” 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


81 


Fig.  83.  Harlequin  Cabbage  Bug. 

This  insect  has  a great  preference  for  such  plants  as 
the  cabbage  and  the  turnip  ; but  has  no  aversion  to  mustard 
and  radishes. 

Remedies. — Hot  water  is  very  good,  as  is  also  the 
method  of  entrapping  them  under  leaves  and  rubbish  where 
they  have  sought  shelter. 

Burning  weeds  and  rubbish  and  care  and  cleanliness  in 
cultivation  are  useful. 

The  kerosene  emulsion  might  be  tried. 

THE  TARNISHED  PLANT  BUG. 

( Lygus  lineolaris.  Beauv.) 

This  destructive  insect  is  plentiful  all  over  the  country. 
It  attacks  a variety  of  plants,  doing  great  injury. 

Hibernating  in  the  mature  state,  they  deposit  their  eggs 
in  early  spring,  and  both  old  and  young  bugs  may  be  found 
together  during  most  of  the  summer.  The  young  ones  do 
not  differ  from  their  parents,  except  in  being  entirely  green 
in  color,  and  without  wings.  There  are  probably  two 
roods  during  the  year. 


82  EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Fig  83.  Tarnished  Plant  Bug. 

“This  bug  is  a variable  species,  the  males  being  gener- 
ally much  darker  than  the  females.  The  more  common 
color  of  the  dried  cabinet  specimens  is  a dirty  yellow,  vari- 
egated * * * with  black  or  dark  brown  ; and  one  of  the 
most  characteristic  marks  is  a yellow  V,  sometimes  looking 
more  like  a Y,  or  indicated  by  three  simple  dots  on  the  scu- 
tel,  (the  little  triangular  piece  on  the  middle  of  the  back, 
behind  the  thorax.  ) The  color  of  the  living  specimens  * 
* * frequently  inclines  to  olive  green.  The  thorax, 

which  is  finely  punctured,  is  always  finely  bordered  and 
divided  down  the  middle  with  yellow  lines,  very  frequently 
obsolete  behind.  The  thighs  always  have  two  dark  bands 
or  rings  near  the  tips.’'  (Riley.) 

Remedies.  Pyrethrum  is  effective  against  this  insect 
as  is  also  kerosene  emulsion,  provided  it  contains  not  less, 
than  five  per  cent,  of  the  kerosene. 


EBERHAk TSS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY, 


83 


THE  COTTONY  MAPLE  SCALE. 

( Pulvinaria  innumerabilis.  Rathvou.) 

“The  young  lice  hatch  in  spring  or  early  in  summer, 
walk  about  actively  as  soon  as  born,  and  settle  along  the 
ribs  of  the  leaves  (very  rarely  on  the  young  twigs).  They 
then  insert  their  beaks  and  begin  to  pump  up  sap  and  to 
increase  in  size,  a thin  layer  of  waxy  secretion  immediately 
beginning  to  cover  the  dorsum.  In  a little  more  than  three 
weeks  they  have  increased  to  double  their  size  at  birth,  and 
undergo  their  first  moult,  shedding  the  skin,  it  is  supposed, 
in  small  fragments.  After  this  first  moult,  the  waxy  secre- 
tion increases  in  abundance  and  a differentiation  between 
the  sexes  is  observable.  The  males  grow  more  slender  and 
soon  cease  to  increase  in  size,  covering  themselves  with  a 
thick  coating  of  whitish  wax.  The  pupa  then  begins  to 
form  within  the  larval  skin,  the  appendages  gradually 
taking  shape,  the  head  separating  from  the  thorax,  the 
mouth  parts  being  replated  by  a pair  of  ventral  eyes.  A 
pair  of  long  wax  filaments  is  excreted  from  near  the  anus 
and  these  continue  to  grow  during  the  life  of  the  insect.  It 
is  the  protrusion  of  these  filaments  from  beneath  the  waxy 
scale  which  indicates  the  aproaching  exclusion  of  the  male. 
The  posterior  end  of  the  scale  is  in  this  manner  raised  up, 
and  the  perfect  insect  backs  out  with  its  wings  held  close  to 
the  sides  of  its  body. 


84 


EBERHARTN  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


“Meanwhile  the  female  larvae  * * * grow  larger 

and  also  broader  across  the  posterior  portion  but  remain 
flat.  * * * Just  before  the  appearance  of  the  adult 

males  they  undergo  another  moult,  and  change  in  color 
from  a uniform  pale  yellow  to  a somewhat  deeper  yellow 
with  deep  red  markings.”* 

Remedies.  Spray  the  trees  with  kerosene  emulsion, 
late  in  May  or  early  in  June.  The  bark  louse  has  a number 
of  natural  enemies,  such  as  the  predaceus  beetles,  the 
lady-bug,  a species  of  harvest  mite,  and  two  true  parasites. 

THE  SQUASH  BUG. 

( Anasa  ( Coreus ) trisis.  Degeer.) 

The  females  deposit  their  yellowish  brown  eggs  in  June 
(in  the  latitude  of  Illinois),  cementing  them  to  the  under 
sides  of  the  squash  leaves.  The  young  bugs  moult  their 
skins  a number  of  times  and  at  last  attain  the  adult  state 
without  passing  through  the  dormant  pupal  stage.  The 


Fig.  85.  Squash  Bug.  Somewhat  enlarged. 


*C.  V.  Riley,  Report  of  U.  S.  Entomologist,  1884. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


85 


perfect  insects  are  a rust-colored  brown  above  or  rather  yel- 
low, so  covered  with  tiny  black  dots,  that  it  appears  to  be 
a rusty  black.  The  color  of  the  under  side  of  the  body  is 
yellow.  They  are  readily  known  by  the  odor  which  they 
emit  which  resembles  that  of  the  banana. 

They  live  upon  the  juices  of  the  leaves  which  they  suck 
up  through  their  beaks  causing  the  leaves  to  wither  and 
die. 

Remedies.  Hand  picking  of  the  bugs,  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  eggs  which  are  to  be  found  on  the  under 
sides  of  the  leaves. 

THE  APPLE  APHIS. 

(AJ>hzs  moli . Fabr.) 

4 ‘During  the  winter’  ’ says  Saunders,  ‘ ‘There  may  often 
be  found  in  crevices  and  cracks  of  the  bark  of  the  twigs  of 
the  apple  tree,  and  also  about  the  base  of  the  buds,  a num- 
ber of  very  minute,  oval,  shining  black  eggs.  These  are 
the  eggs  of  the  apple  tree  aphis,  Aphis  mali.  They  are  de- 
posited in  the  autumn,  and  when  first  laid  are  of  a light 
yellow  or  green  color,  but  gradually  become  darker,  and 
finally  black. 

As  soon  as  the  buds  begin  to  expand  in  the  spring, 
these  eggs  hatch  into  tiny  lice,  which  locate  themselves  up- 
on the  swelling  buds  and  the  .small  tender  leaves,  and  insert- 
ing their  beaks  feed  on  the  juices.  All  the  lice  thus  hatch- 
ed at  this  period  of  the  year  are  females,  and  reach  maturity 


86 


EBERHAR 7 'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


in  ten  or  twelve  days,  when  they  commence  to  give  birth 
to  living  young,  producing  about  two  daily  for  two  or  three 
weeks,  after  which  the  older  ones  die.  The  young  locate 
about  the  parents  as  closely  as  they  can  stow  themselves, 
and  they  also  mature  and  become  mothers  in  ten  or  twelve 
days,  and  are  as  prolific  as  their  predecessors.  They  thus 
increase  so  rapidly  that  as  fast  as  new  leaves  expand,  colo_ 
nies  are  ready  to  occupy  them.  As  the  season  advances, 
some  of  the  females  acquire  wings,  and,  dispersing,  found 
new  colonies  on  other  trees.  When  cold  weather  approach- 
es, males  as  well  as  females  are  produced,  and  the  season 
closes  with  the  deposit  of  a stock  of  eggs  for  the  continu- 
ance of  the  species  for  another  year.  When  newly  born  the 
Apple  Aphis  is  almost  white,  but  soon  becomes  of  a pale 
dull  greenish-yellow.  The  mature  females  are  generally 
without  wings;  their  bodies  are  oval  in  form,  less  than  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch  long,  of  a pale  yellowish-green  color,  often 
striped  with  deeper  green.  The  eyes  are  black,  honey  tubes 
green,  and  there  is  a short,  tail-like  appendage  of  a black 
color.’ ’ The  winged  females  and  the  males  are  very  similar 
in  color.  The  head,  thorax  and  antennae  are  black,  with  the 
neck  usually  green.  The  abdomen  is  short  and  thick,  with 
an  oval  form  and  bright  green  color,  with  a row  of  black 
dots  along  each  side ; the  wings  are  transparent,  with  dark 
brown  veins. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


87 


Most  of  the  insects  belonging  to  this  family  (Aphidse) 
are  provided  with  two  little  tubes  or  knobs,  which  project 
one  on  each  side,  from  the  hinder  part  of  their  bodies  ; these 
are  called  honey  tubes,  or  nectaries,  and  from  them  is  se- 
creted in  considerable  quantities  a sweet  fluid.  This  fluid 
falling  upon  the  leaves  and  evaporating  gives  them  a shiny 
appearance,  as  if  coated  with  varnish,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  feeding  upon  this  sweet  deposit,  which  is  known  as 
honey-dew,  different  species  of  ants  and  flies  are  found  vis- 
iting them.  Ants  also  visit  the  colonies  of  aphides  and 
stroke  the  insects  with  their  antennae  to  induce  them  to 
part  with  some  of  the  sweet  fluid,  which  is  greedily  sipped 
up.  This  fluid  is  said  to  serve  as  food  for  a day  or  two  to 
the  newly-born  young. 

The  leaves  of  trees  infested  by  these  insects  become 
distorted  and  twisted  backwards,  often  with  their  tips  press- 
ing against  the  twig  from  which  they  grow,  and  they  thus 
form  a covering  for  the  aphides,  protecting  them  from  rain. 
An  infested  tree  may  be  distinguished  at  some  distance  by 
this  bending  back  of  the  leaves  and  young  twigs.  It  is 
stated  that  the  scab  on  the  fruit  of  the  apple  tree  often  owes 
its  origin  to  the  punctures  of  these  plant  lice.  This  species, 
which  was  originally  imported  from  Europe,  is  now  found 
in  apple  orchards  all  over  the  Northern  United  States  and 
Canada. 


88 


EBERH A RT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Remedies. — Lady-bugs  destroy  many.  Syringe  trees 
in  spring  when  buds  are  bursting  with  weak  lye,  strong 
soap-suds,  or  tobacco-water. 

THE  GRAPE  PHYLLOXERA. 

(. Phylloxera  vastatrix.  Plan  chon.) 

“The  insect*  presents  itself  under  several  different 
forms,  all  of  which  belong  to  two  types.  One  of  these  is 
the  Leaf-Gall  Type  (gallicola),  and  the  other  is  found *upon 
the  roots  of  the  vine  (radicicola) . 

“ First,  as  to  the  Leaf-Gall  Type  {Gallicola) . The  gall 
or  excrescence  produced  by  this  is  a fleshy  swelling  of  the 
under  side  of  the  leaf,  more  or  less  wrinkled  and  hairy,  with 


Fig.  86,  Female  Gall  Fouse.  (Very  highly  magnified.) 

a corresponding  depression  of  the  upper  side,  the  margin  of 
the  cup  being  fuzzy,  and  drawn  together  so  as  to  form  a 
fringed  mouth.  It  is  usually  cup-shaped,  but  sometimes 
greatly  elongated  or  purse-shaped.  Soon  after  the  first 
vine  leaves  that  put  out  in  the  spring  have  fully  expanded, 


*This  article  is  condensed  by  Mrs.  Treat  from  Prol.  Riley  and  here  copied 
by  us. 


EBEKHAKT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


89 


a few  scattering  galls  may  be  found,  mostly  on  the  lower 
leaves,  nearest  the  ground.  These  vernal  galls  are  usually 
large  (of  the  size  of  an  ordinary  pea),  and  the  normal  green 
is  often  blushed  with  rose  where  exposed  to  the  light  of  the 
sun.  On  carefully  opening  one  of  them,  we  shall  find  the 
motlier-louse  diligently  at  work  surrounding  herself  with 
pale  yellow  eggs  of  an  elongated  oval  form  scarcely  one 
hundredth  of  an  inch  long,  and  not  quite  half  as  thick. 
She  is  about  four  hundredths  of  an  inch  long,  generally 
spherical  in  shape,  of  a dull  orange  color,  and  looks  not 
unlike  an  immature  seed  of  the  common  purslane.  At 
times  by  the  elongation  of  the  abdomen,  she  is  more  or  less 
perfectly  pear-shaped.  Her  members  are  all  dusky,  and 
so  short,  compared  to  her  swollen  body,  that  she  appears 
very  clumsy,  and  undoubtedly  would  be  outside  of  her  gall, 
which  she  never  has  occasion  to  quit,  and  which  serves  her 
alike  as  dwelling  house  and  coffin.  More  carefully  exam- 
ined, her  skin  is  seen  to  be  shagreened  or  minutely  gran- 
ulated and  furnished  with  rows  of  minute  hairs.  The 
eggs  begin  to  hatch,  when  six  or  eight  days  old,  into  active 
little  oval,  six-footed  beings,  which  differ  from  their  mother 
in  their  brighter  yellow  color  and  more  perfect  legs  and 
antennae,  the  tarsi  being  furnished  with  long,  pliant  hairs, 
terminating  in  a more  or  less  distinct  globule.  In  hatching, 
the  egg  .splits  longitudinally  from  the  anterior  end,  and  the 


90 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


young  louse,  whose  pale-yellow  is  in  strong  contrast  with 
the  more  dusky  color  of  the  egg-shell,  escapes  in  the  course 
of  two  minutes.  Issuing  from  the  mouth  of  the  gall,  these 
young  lice  scatter  over  the  vine,  most  of  them  finding  their 
way  to  the  tender  terminal  leaves,  where  they  settle  in  the 
downy  bed  which  these  leaves  afford,  and  commence 
pumping  up  and  appropriating  the  sap.  The  tongue  sheath 
is  blunt  and  heavy,  but  the  tongue  proper — consisting  of 
three  brown,  elastic,  and  wiry  filaments,  which,  united, 
make  so  fine  a thread  as  scarcely  to  be  visible  with  the 
strongest  microscope — is  sharp,  and  easily  run  into  a leaf, 
the  growth  being  so  stimulated  that  the  under  side  bulges 
and  thickens,  while  the  down  on  the  upper  side  increases  in 
a circle  around  the  louse,  and  finally  hides  and  covers  it  as 
it  recedes  more  and  more  within  the  deepening  cavity. 
Sometimes  the  lice  are  so  crowded  that  two  occupy  the  same 
gall.  If,  from  the  premature  death  of  the  louse,  or  other 
cause,  the  gall  becomes  abortive  before  being  completed, 
then  the  circle  of  thickened  down  or  fuzz  enlarges  with  the 
expansion  of  the  leaf,  and  remains  to  tell  the  tale  of  the 
futile  effort,  otherwise  in  a few  days  the  gall  is  formed,  and 
the  inheld  louse,  which,  while  eating  its  way  into  house 
and  home,  is  also  growing  apace,  begins  a parthenoge- 
netic  maternity  by  the  deposition  of  fertile  eggs,  as  her  im- 
mediate parent  had  done  before.  She  increases  in  bulk 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY, 


91 


with  pregenancy,  and  one  egg  follows  another  in  quick  suc- 
cession until  the  gall  is  crowded.  The  mother  dies  and 
shrivels,  and  the  young,  as  they  hatch,  issue  and  found 
new  galls.  This  process  continues  during  the  summer  until 
the  fifth  or  sixth  generation.  Every  egg  brings  forth  a 
fertile  female,  which  soon  becomes  wonderfully  prolific. 
The  number  of  eggs  found  in  a single  gall  averages  about 
two  hundred;  yet  it  will  sometimes  reach  as  many  as  five 
hundred.  Even  supposing  there  are  but  five  generations 
during  the  year  and  taking  the  lowest  of  the  above  figures, 
the  immense  prolificacy  of  the  species  becomes  manifest. 
As  summer  advances,  they  frequently  become  prodigiously 
multiplied,  completely  covering  the  leaves  with  their  galls. 
The  lice  also  settle  on  the  tendrils,  leaf-stalks  and  tender 
branches,  where  they  also  form  knots  and  rounded  excres- 
cences much  resembling  those  made  on  the  roots.  In  such 
a case  the  vine  loses  its  leaves  prematurely.  Usually, 
however,  the  natural  enemies  of  the  louse  seriously  reduce 
its  nnmbers  by  the  time  the  vine  ceases  its  growth  in  the 
fall,  and  the  few  remaing  lice,  finding  no  more  succulent 
and  suitable  leaves,  seek  the  roots.  Thus,  by  the  end  of 
September  the  galls  are  mostly  deserted,  and  those  which 
are  left  are  almost  always  infested  with  mildew  and  event- 
ually turn  brown  and  decay.  On  the  roots  the  young  lice 
attach  themselves  singly  or  in  little  groups,  and  thus  hiber- 


92 


EBERHAR1  }S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


nate.  The  male  gall  louse  has  never  been  seen,  and  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  has  no  existence.  Nor 
does  the  female  ever  acquire  wings.  It  is  but  a transient 
state,  not  at  all  essential  to  the  perpetuation  of  the  species, 
and  does,  compared  with  the  other  type,  but  trifling  damage. 
As  already  indicated,  the  autumnal  individuals  of  Gallicola 
descend  to  the  roots,  and  there  hibernate.  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  also  that,  throughout  the  summer,  some 
of  the  young  lice  hatched  in  the  galls  are  passing  on  the 
roots;  as  considering  their  size,  they  are  great  travelers, 
and  show  a strong  disposition  to  reach  the  earth  with  ease 
and  safety.  At  all  events,  we  know  from  experiments, 
that  the  young  Gallicola , if  confined  to  vines  on  which  they 
do  not  normally  form  galls,  will,  in  the  middle  of  the  sum- 
mer, make  themselves  perfectly  at  home  on  the  roots. 

THE  ROOT  INHABITING  TYPE. 

( Radiciola .) 

We  have  seen  that,  in  all  probability,  gallicola  exists 
only  in  the  wingless,  shagreened,  non  tubercled,  fecund 
female  form.  Radiciola , however,  presents  itself  in  two 
principal  forms.  The  newly  hatched  larvae  of  this  type  are 
undistinguishable,  in  all  essential  characters,  from  those 
hatched  in  the  galls;  but  in  due  time  they  shed  the  smooth 
larval  skin,  and  acquire  raised  warts  or  tubercles  which  at 
once  distinguish  them  from  gallicola.  In  the  development 


EBERHARl'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


93 


from  this  point  the  two  forms  are  separable  with  sufficient 
eas£:  one  of  a more  dingy  greenish  yellow,  with  more 
swollen  fore-body,  and  more  tapering  abdomen;  the  other 
of  a brighter  yellow,  with  the  lateral  outline  more  perfectly 
oval,  and  with  the  abdomen  mere  truncated  at  tip.  The 
first  or  mother  form  is  the  analogue  ol  gallicola,  as  it  never 
acquires  wings,  and  is  occupied,  from  adolescence  till  death, 


Fig.  87.  Somewhat  Mature  Larva  of  the  Root-inhabiting  Type.  (Very  highly 

magnified.) 

with  the  laying  of  eggs,  which  are  less  numerous  and  some- 
what larger  than  those  found  in  the  galls.  We  have  counted 
in  the  spring  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  eggs  in 
a cluster,  and  all  evidently  from  one  mother,  who  was  yet 
very  plump  and  still  occupied  in  laying.  As  a rule,  how- 
ever, they  are  less  numerous.  With  pregenancy  this  form 
becomes  quite  timid  and  more  less  pyriform,  and  is  con- 
tent to  remain  with  scarcely  any  motion  in  the  more  secluded 
parts  of  the  roots,  such  as  creases,  sutures,  and  depressions, 
which  the  knots  afford.  The  skin  is  distinctly  shagreened 


94  EEERHA RT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY . 


as  in  Gallicola . The  warts,  though  usually  quite  visible 
with  a good  lens,  are  at  other  times  more  or  less  obsolete, 
especially  on  the  abdomen. 

The  second  or  more  oval  form  is  destined  to  become 
winged.  Its  tubercles,  when  once  acquired,  are  always 
conspicuous  ; it  is  more  active  than  the  other,  and  its  eyes 
increase  rather  than  diminish  in  complexity  with  age. 
From  the  time  it  is  one-third  grown,  the  little  dusky  wing 
pads  may  be  discovered,  though  less  conspicuous  than  in 
the  pupa  state,  which  is  soon  after  assumed.  The  pupae 
are  still  more  active,  and,  after  feeding  a short  time,  they 
make  their  way  to  the  light  of  day,  crawl  over  the  ground 
and  over  the  vines,  and  finally  shed  their  skin  and  assume 
the  winged  state.  In  this  last  moult  the  tubercled  skin 
splits  on  the  back,  and  is  soon  worked  off ; the  body  in  the 
winged  insect  having  neither  tubercles  nor  granulations. 
These  winged  insects  are  most  abundant  in  August  and 
September,  but  may  be  found  as  early  as  the  first  of  July, 
and  until  the  vines  cease  growing  in  the  fall.  The  majority 
of  them  are  females,  with  the  abdomen  large  and  more  or 
less  elongate.  From  two  to  five  eggs  may  invariably  be 
found  in  the  abdomen  of  these,  and  are  easily  seen  when 
the  insect  is  held  between  the  light,  or  mounted  in  balsam 
or  glycerine.  A certain  proportion  have  an  entirely  differ- 
ent shaped  and  smaller  body,  the  abdomen  being  short, 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


% 


contracted,  and  terminating  in  a fleshy  and  dusky  protuber- 
ance ; the  limbs  stouter,  and  the  wings  proportionately 
larger  and  stouter.  This  form  has  been  looked  upon  as 
the  male.  As  fall  advances  the  winged  individuals  become 
more  and  more  scarce,  and  as  winter  sets  in,  only  eggs, 
newly  hatched  larvae,  and  a few  wingless,  egg-bearing 
mothers  are  seen.  These  last  die  and  disappear  during  the 
winter,  which  is  mostly  passed  in  the  larva  state,  with  here 
and  there  a few  eggs.  The  larvae  thus  hibernating  become 
dingy,  with  the  body  and  limbs  more  shagreened  and  the 
claws  less  perfect  than  when  first  hatched  ; and,  of  thous- 
ands examined,  all  bear  the  same  appearance,  and  all  are 
furnished  with  strong  suckers.  As  soon  as  the  ground 
thaws  and  the  sap  starts  in  the  spring,  these  young  lice 
work  off  their  winter  coat,  and  growing  apace  commence  to 
deposit  their  eggs.  Since,  in  1870,  the  absolute  identity  of 
these  two  types  was  proved  by  showing  that  the  gall-lice 
become  root-lice.  The  fact  has  been  repeatedly  substan- 
tiated by  different  observers.  (In  1873  galls  were  obtained 
on  the  leaves  of  a Clinton  vine  from  the  root-inhabiting 
type,  thus  establishing  the  identity  of  the  two  types.) 

THE  MORE  MANIFEST  AND  EXTERNAL  EFFECTS  OF 
PHYLLOXERA  DISEASE. 

'The  result  which  follows  the  puncture  of  the  root-louse 
is  an  abnormal  swelling,  differing  in  form  according  to  the 


96 


EBERHARTS  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


particular  part  and  texture  of  the  root.  These  swellings, 
which  are  generally  commenced  at  the  tip  of  the  rootlets, 
eventually  rot,  and  the  lice  forsake  them  and  betake  them- 
selves to  fresh  ones — the  living  tissue  being  necessary  to 
the  existence  of  this  as  of  all  plant  lice.  The  decay  affects 
the  parts  adjacent  to  the  swellings,  and  on  the  more  fibrous 
roots  cuts  off  the  supply  of  sap  to  all  parts  beyond.  As 
these  last  decompo.se,  the  lice  congregate  on  the  larger  ones, 
until  at  last  the  root  system  literally  wastes  away. 

Remedies. — Thus  far,  the  only  practicable  method  of 
combating  the  insect  when  established  upon  the  root,  is  by 
drowning  it  by  irrigating  the  soil.  In  Europe  the  method 
largely  adopted  is  to  graft  their  vines  upon  varieties,  the 
roots  of  which  are  Phylloxera  proof;  for  this  purpose 
American  varieties  have  been  sent  to  Europe  in  immense 
numbers,  as  cuttings  and  as  rooted  plants.  An  enterprising 
grape  growing  firm  has  even  established  nurseries  in 
Europe  for  the  production  of  vines  that  resist  the  Phyl- 
loxera. 


EBERHAR  T'S  . ECONOMIC  ENTOMOL  OGY. 


97 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Injurious  Orthoptera. 

Orthoptera  (“  straight- winged  ” insects,)  include  the 
locusts,  grasshoppers,  crickets,  cockroaches, .etc. 

The  upper  wings  are  more  or  less  leathery,  and  protect 
the  lower  ones,  which  are  folded  fan-like  beneath  them. 

As  in  Hemiptera , the  larvae  differ  from  the  adults  only 
in  the  absence  of  wings. 

LOCUSTS. 

{Acrididcz.) 

The  abdomen  of  the  female  locust  is  armed  with  an 

i 

ovipositor  (the  organ  used  in  depositing  eggs),  consisting  of 
four  horny  valves,  two  curving  upward  and  two  downward.. 
When  ready  to  lay  her  eggs,  she  makes  a hole  in  the 
ground  with  this  ovipositor,  in  which  they  are  deposited 
one  at  a time,  placed  obliquely  and  in  regular  order,  so  as 
to  form  an  oval  mass. 


Fig.  88.  M.  femur-rubrum. 


98 


EBERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


The  eggs  are  covered  with  a white  mucus,  which  ulti. 
mately  hardens  and  holds  them  together. 

The  hole  above  the  cluster  is  then  closed,  the  soil  being 
mixed  with  this  same  mucus,  which,  hardening,  prevents 
the  accession  of  moisture. 

The  eggs  in  the  mass  are  placed  in  four  rows,  that  part 
toward  the  surface  which  will  allow  the  newly  hatched  in- 
sects to  emerge  head-foremost. 

The  masses  are  generally  placed  in  hard  and  compact 
earth  in  preference  to  that  which  is  loose  or  sandy. 

When  the  locusts  are  plentiful,  the  females  may  even 
be  found  boring  into  the  hard  soil  of  a well  traveled  street. 

The  young  locusts  resemble  the  adults  in  every  respect 
except  that  the}^  have  no  wings. 

In  a few  hours  after  hatching  they  begin  to  feed  on 
whatever  appropriate  food  they  find  near  them. 


Fig.  89.  M.  Spretus. 

They  develop  rapidly,  moulting  or  casting  their  skin 
repeatedly,  until  they'  attain  the  adult  state,  the  wings  ap- 
pearing at  the  second  or  third  moult. 


EBERH A RT’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


99 


The  locusts  devour  all  varieties  of  vegetation,  and 
great  destruction  is  attendant  on  their  appearance. 

The  common  red-legged  species  ( Melanoplus  ( Calop - 
terms')  femur-rubrum , De  Geer),  prefers  to  feed  upon  grasses 
in  open  areas,  while  the  Rocky  Mountain  Locust  (M. 
spretus , Thomas),  a closely  allied  species,  differing  princi- 
pally in  having  longer  wings,  feeds  upon  any  plant  that 
comes  in  its  way. 

Remedy. — The  most  effectual  remedy  has  been  dem- 
onstrated to  be  the  kerosene  emulsion  (see  next  chapter). 

Noth.  The  following  paragraphs  on  the  locusts,  from 
the  Ninth  Report  of  the  State  Entomologist  of  Illinois,  by 
Dr.  Thomas,  may  be  of  interest  to  many  readers  : 

“CLIMATIC  INFLUENCE. ” 

“Dampness  is  undoubtedly  the  most  potent  natural 
agent  in  keeping  them  in  check. 

Although  they  may  have  hatched  out  in  excessive 
numbers,  yet  if  a rainy  season  follows  soon  afterwards,  they 
will  be  destroyed  to  a very  large  extent,  and  the  invigor- 
ated vegetation  will  bid  defiance  to  the  feeble  attacks  of 
those  that  remain  alive.  Like  other  insects  their  breathing 
apparatus  consists  of  tubes  that  permeate  the  body,  con- 
necting with  opening  or  breathing  pores  along  the  sides  of 
the  body,  one  on  each  side  of  a segment. 

The  moisture  taken  in  by  inspiration  in  all  probability 


100  EBERH A RT'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


produces  disease,  or  at  least  in  some  way  prevents  the  free 
passage  of  the  air  and  thus  lessens  the  vitality. 

Excessive  changes  during  the  winter  also  appear  to 
have  a tendency  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  eggs.  That 
those  of  the  red-legged  and  other  allied  species,  which  are 
somewhat  boreal  in  their  habits,  can  withstand  a greater 
degree  of  cold,  is  undoubtedly  true,  but  they  are  certainly 
affected  by  sudden  and  considerable  changes. 


EffERH ART'S  ECONOMIC  ENIOMOLOGY. 


101 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Kerosene  Emulsions. 

This  remedy  lias  become  so  popular  of  late  yaars  that 
it  is  certainly  deserving  of  a special  chapter. 

It  stands  at  the  head  of  the  Economic  Entomologist’s 
list  of  insecticides. 

The  methods  of  emulsifying  kerosene  were  first  made 
public  in  1880,  and  since  that  time  they  have  come  into 
universal  use. 

‘ ‘ It  cannot  be  to  strongly  impressed  upon  all  who  use 
kerosene  as  an  insecticide,”  says  Riley,  “that  it  can  be 
considered  a safe  remedy  only  when  properly  emulsified.” 

The  great  point  to  be  looked  after  is  that  there  is 
sufficient  agitation  to  make  a permanent  emulsion. 

The  following  formula  of  Riley’s  is  that  which  Mr. 
Hubbard  found  so  satisfactory  in  destroying  the  scale- 
insects  infesting  the  orange  : 

Kerosene 2 gallons  =67  per  cent. 

Common  oil  or  whale  soap ]/2  pound  \ , 

Water 1 gallon  j 33  Per  cen  • 

“Heat  the  .solution  of  soap  and  add  it  boiling  hot  to 
the  kerosene.  Churn  the  mixture  by  means  of  a force- 
pump  and  a spray-nozzle,  for  five  or  ten  minutes.  The 


102 


EBERHAR T’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


emulsion,  if  perfect,  forms  a cream,  which  thickens  on 
cooling,  and  should  adhere  without  oiliness  to  the  surface 
of  glass.  Dilute  before  using,  one  part  of  the  emulsion 
with  nine  parts  of  water.  The  above  formula  gives  three 
gallons  of  emulsion,  and  makes,  when  diluted,  thirty  gal- 
lons of  wash. 

4 4 Another  frequent  cause  of  failure,”  continues  Riley, 

4 4 is  the  attempt  to  form  an  emulsion,  by  churning  together 
a small  quantity  of  kerosene  and  a large  quantity  of  dilu- 
ent. Only  a very  unstable  compound  is  thus  formed. 
The  very  essence  of  the  process  requires  that  the  oil  shall 
be  broken  down  by  driving  into  union  with  it,  a smaller,  or 
at  most  an  equal,  quantity  of  the  emulsifying  solution,  after 
which,  if  a genuine  emulsion  is  formed,  it  may  be  diluted 
to  any  extent  with  water.  ’ ’ 

Persons  who  are  intending  to  use  this  remedy  will  da 
well  to  heed  the  instructions  given  above,  and  to  carefully 
follow  out  the  directions. 


EBERHART'S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY.  103 


CHAPTER  IX. 


A List  of  the  Insects  in  this  Work,  Arranged  According 
TO  THE  PEANTS  they  INFEST. 


appee. 


COTTON. 


Apple  Aphis. 

Apple  Curculio. 
Apple-tree  Borer. 
Canker  Worm. 
Codling  Moth. 
Flat-Headed  Borer. 
Palmer  Worm. 

Peach  Curculio. 

Plum  Curculio. 

Tent  Caterpillars. 

ASPARAGUS. 


Cotton  Boll  or  Corn  Worm. 


CUCUMBER. 

Melon  Worm. 

Striped  Cucumber  Beetle. 

CURRANT. 


Imported  Currant  Borer. 
Imported  Currant  Worm. 
Native  Currant  Saw-Fly. 


Asparagus  Beetle. 

CABBAGE. 

Cabbage  Butterflies. 
Cabbage  Plusia. 
Harlequin  Cabbage  Bug. 
Tarnished  Plant  Bug. 

CHERRY. 

Palmer  Worm. 

Peach  Curculio. 

Plum  Weevil. 

CORN. 

Chinch  Bug. 

Corn,  or  Boll  Worm. 
Corn  Root-Worm. 

Locust. 

Stalk-Borer. 

Wire  Worm. 


GOOSEBERRY. 

Gooseberry  Fruit  Worm. 
Native  Currant  Saw-Fly. 

GRAIN. 

Army-Worms. 

Cut-Worms. 

Hessian  Fly. 

Locusts. 

Stalk-Borer. 

GRAPE. 

American  Procris. 

Grapevine  Flea-Beetle. 
Grape  Phylloxera. 

Green  Grapevine  Sphinx. 

MAPEE. 

Cottony  Maple-Scale. 


104  EBERHART’S  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY. 


MEEON. 

Melon  Worm. 

Striped  Cucumber  Beetle. 

ONION. 

Black  Onion  Fly. 

Imported  Onion  Fly. 

PEA. 

Pea  Weevil. 

PEACH. 

Peach  Curculio. 

Peach-tree  Borer. 

Plum  Curculio. 

PEAR. 

Peach  Curculio. 

Pear  Slug. 

Plum  Curculio. 

PEUM. 

Grapevine  Flea-Beetle. 
Peach-tree  Borer. 

Plum  Curculio. 

Polyphemus  Moth,  or  American 
Silk  Worm. 


POTATO. 

Potato  or  Tomato  Worm. 
Potato  Beetle. 

RADISH. 

Radish  Fly. 

SQUASH. 

Squash  Bugs. 

Striped  Cucumber  Beetle. 

STRAWBERRY. 

Strawberry  Root-Worms. 
Strawberry  Leaf-Roller. 

TOMATO. 

Tomato  Worm. 

GENERAE  FEEDERS. 

Army-Worms. 

Cabbage  Butterflies. 
Cut-Worms. 

Locusts. 

Tarnished  Plant  Bug. 
Tent  Caterpillars. 


) 


) 


INDEX 


A 

PAGE. 

Acrididae 97 

Aegeria  exitiosa 31 

Aegeria  tipuliformis 54 

Agriotes 64 

Agrotis 26 

American  procris 53 

American  silkworm 48 

Anasa  tristis 84 

Anisopteryx  vernata 33 

Antennae 10 

Anthomyia  ceparum 59 

Anthomyia  radicum..t 60 

Anthonomus  quadrigibbus 67 

Aphis  mali 85 

Apple  aphis 85 

Apple  curculio 67 

Apple  tree  borer,  flat-headed 66 

Apple  tree  borer,  round-headed 65 

Army  worm 29 

Asparagus  beetle 73 

B 

Bark -louse,  maple 83 

Black  onion  fly 58 

Blissus  leucopterus ’ 77 

Boll  worm 28 

Bruchus  pisi 71 

c 

Cabbage  bug,  harlequin 80 

Cabbage  butterfly,  European 38 

Cabbage  butterfly,  southern 41 

Cabbage  plusia 42 

Caloptenus  femur-rubrum 97 


106 


INDEX. 


Caloptenus  spretus 

98 

Canker  worm 

33 

Carpocapsa  pomonella 

37 

Cecidomyia  destructor ,... 

56 

Chinch  bug 

77 

Chitine 

7 

Chrysobothris  femorata ,,, 

66 

Circulation 

— 15 

Classification 

16 

Clisiocampa  Americana 

36 

Clisiocampa  sylvatica 

35 

Coccotorus  scutellaris 

66 

Codling  moth 

37 

Colaspis 

63 

Coleoptera 

62 

Colorado  beetle 

69 

Common  tent  caterpillar 

36 

Conotrachelus  nenuphar 

66 

Corn  root- worm 

62 

Corn  worm 

28 

Corymbites 

64 

Cotton  boll-worm 

28 

Cottony  maple-scale,  or  bark-louse 

83 

Crioceris  asparagi 

73 

Cucumber  beetle 

74 

Currant  borer,  imported 

54 

Currant  Sawfly,  native 

24 

Currant  worm,  imported 

22 

Cut- worms 

D 

26 

Dakruma  convolutella 

54 

Darapsa  myron 

49 

Diabrotica  longicornis 

62 

Diabrotica  vittati 

74 

Diptera 

Doryphora  io-lineata 

E 

69 

Elateridae 

Elytr* 

62 

Emulsions,  kerosene 

European  cabbage  butterfly.... 

Eyes 

INDKX. 


107 


F 

Fall  army  worm 31 

Flat-headed  apple-tree  borer 66 

Flea-beetle,  grape-vine 75 

Forest  tent-caterpillar 35 

G 

Gallicola 88 

Goosberry  fruit- worm 54 

Gortyna  nitela 32 

Green  grape-vine  sphinx 49 

Grape  phylloxera . 85 

Graptodera  chalybea yb 

Grape-vine  flea  beetle 75 

Grape-vine  sphinx 49 

H 

Hadena 26 

Harlequin  cabbage  bug 80 

Heliophila  unipuncta 29 

Heliothis  armigera 28 

Hemiptera 77 

Hessian  fly 56 

Hymenoptera 21 

Imported  currant  borer 54 

Imported  currant  worm 22 

Imported  onion-fly 59 

Ithycerus  noveboracensis 69 

K 

Kerosene  emulsions 101 

L 

Laphygma  frugiperda 31 

Lepidoptera.. 26 

Legs..... 12 

Leucania  unipuncta * 29 

Locusts 91 

Lygus  lineolaris 87 


108 


INDEX. 


M 


Macrosila  quinque-maculata 

Maple-scale,  or  bark  louse 

Melanotus 

Melon  worm 

Murgantia  histnonica 

Muscular  system 

N 


Native  currant  sawfly 

Nematus  ventricosus 

Nervous  system 

New  York  weevil 

Noctuidae  

o 

Onion-fly,  black 

Onion-fly,  imported 

Ortalis  flexa 

Orthoptera 

P 


Palmer  worm 

Paria 

Peach  curculio 

Peach  tree  borer 

Pea  weevil 

Pear  slug 

Pezotettix  femur-rnbrnm 

Pezotettix  spretus 

Phacellura  hyalinatilis... 

Phoxopteris  comptana 

Phylloxera 

Pieris  protodice 

Pleris  rapae 

Plant-bug,  tarnished 

Plum  curculio 

Plum  gouger 

Plum  weevil 

Plusia  brassicae 

Polyphemus  moth 

Potato  beetle 


36 

*3 

64 

44 

80 

12 


24 

22 

12 

69 

26 


5» 

59 

5S 

97 


46 

64 

69 

3i 

7i 

21 

97 

98 

44 


41 
38 
81 
66 
68 
66 

42 
48 
69 


INDEX. 


109 


Potato  worm , 36 

Pristiphora  grossularise : 24 

Procris  Americana 53 

Pulvinaria  innumerabilis 83 

R 

Radiciola 92 

Radish  fly 60 

Red-legged  locust 99 

Respiration 16 

Rocky  Mountain  Locust 99 

Root- worm,  corn 62 

Root- worms,  strawberry 63 

s 

Sannina  exitiosa 31 

Saperda  Candida 65 

Scelodonta 64 

Secretory  orgaus 16 

Selandria  cerasi 21 

Southern  cabbage  butterfly 41 

Squash-bug 84 

Stalk-borer 32 

Strachia  histrionica 80 

Strawberry  leaf-roller 34 

StrawLery  root-worms 63 

Striped  cucumber  beeetle 74 

T 

Tarnished  plant  bug 81 

Telea  polyphemus . 48 

Tent  caterpillars 35 

Thysanura 17 

Tomato  worm 36 

Transformations 17 

W 

Wings R 11 

Wire  worms 64 

Y 

Ypsoloplius  pometellus 46 


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Lysias’  Orations. 

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